In The Cross Fire
by greyspaces
Summary: Harvey Specter's relationship with his half sister has always been damaged. When she comes to him for help, he turns her away. What will it take for their walls to come down? FIN. *Bonus chapter snippet posted March 19*
1. Billing Rate

_Note: This little story has been stirring around in my brain so I figured I would get it into writing! I like the idea of older brother Harvey so this is my take on it. This story is slightly canon divergent, it exists in a time where Pearson Specter Litt is fully in tact and Mike (and Rachel) and Jessica have yet to leave the show. It won't really follow a lot of the regular show legal drama plot but we'll see._

_I have tried to follow the Specter family backstory as best as possible, I'm not sure it exactly lines up with the canon plot. In The Painting, Lily mentions Harvey has been mad at her for 20 years. In this story, Lily was pregnant with her and Bobby's daughter when she finally split from Gordon, but I'm making that have happened 23ish years ago instead. Loose timeline change. Mainly trying to follow the basis of Harvey;s backstory otherwise. So, Harvey was 19 when she was born and Marcus was 16 or so._

_Anyway, no need to explain anything else because this is a fanfiction! Enjoy! If you aren't into original characters, this likely isn't the story for you._

* * *

Harvey Specter was not the type to drink a fancy coffee. Yes, he had a French press and preferred a Brazilian roast. But most mornings a plain black coffee from the cart outside was sufficient.

The only time he granted himself a specialty coffee was Fridays. He and Donna had a long-standing tradition of Friday morning lattes from _Stomping Grounds_, a busy standalone cafe in the village. It was a bit of a distance from the office, but on Harvey's dime, Donna didn't mind.

"One large dirty chai latte with skim milk, one large iced coffee and one large hazelnut latte with whip for Donna!"

"Thank youuu!" Donna sang out her praise, reaching towards the counter to grab her tray of drinks. She balanced it on top of her white cardboard pastry box and smiled at the barista.

"Let me know how your boss likes those ginger snaps," the young girl commented as she continued to work, flashing Donna a smile.

"Well, he still won't shut up about your triple chocolate cookies so I'm sure these will be great." Donna returned the smile and waved goodbye to the girl, stepping outside into the warm September air. She saw Ray waiting for her up the street and headed into the car.

Donna made it to Pearson Specter Litt just after 8:30 and headed straight towards Harvey's office with the drinks.

"Thanks, Donna," Mike said as he grabbed his iced drink from the tray. She handed Harvey is hazelnut latte and left the box of baked goods on the table between the two as they sat on the couches.

"You should be thanking me, you know," Harvey joked with Mike, reaching down to grab a cookie.

"Harvey's money, my time," Donna gave Harvey a skeptical look.

Mike bit into one of the cookies and paused to smile, "I don't understand your loyalty to this coffee shop but I will admit the cookies are always delicious."

"You know, you could easily just not be invited to our Friday morning coffee tradition," Harvey replied to him, raising an eyebrow. "More cookies for me, then."

"You need to watch your figure, champ," Mike laughed at him, standing up. "I've got a date with some civil litigation case. Thanks again, Donna."

"Don't forget we've got that disposition at 11," Harvey called to him as he walked out.

"So," Harvey turned to Donna who was leaning against his desk, "Status report?"

Donna smiled and tilted her head at him, "She looks a bit more tired than usual, but otherwise her chipper demeanor remained. It was busy so we didn't really get to chat. I assume her classes are starting up again soon."

Harvey just nodded as he glanced down at the box of cookies, "This is my mom's recipe. Actually, my grandmother's." He smiled as he reached to grab another before standing up.

"You know, you could go do the coffee run next time," Donna suggested to him, her voice soft. "Check up on her yourself."

"It's not that easy, Donna," Harvey responded, letting out a breath. "You know our history."

"I'm not here to argue with you about it _again_," Donna continued, "But it's an olive branch. Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same, Harvey."

* * *

Emilie Bryant had a long, boring, terrible summer. She was looking forward to returning to her routine and busying herself with another year of school assignments. Studying Digital Art and Design was proving to be exactly what she wanted: a creative outlet paired with technological innovation.

Just past 1PM that Friday afternoon, she was pulling off her navy blue _Stomping Grounds _apron and falling onto a stool in the coffee shop and bakery's kitchen. She spent most of her time on the espresso machine, but early every Friday morning she whipped up a specialty cookie to sell at the front counter, too.

"Your ginger snaps were a hit, kid." Emilie smiled at the praise for her coworker Jackie. She was a full time baker and original founder of the bakery.

"Can't beat grandma's recipe," she replied, shrugging. She pulled her dark blonde hair out of it's tight ponytail and shook her head.

"So, excited for your last year of school?"

Emilie always appreciated the supportive chatter Jackie provided.

Living in the city could be a bit lonely, even if her mom and dad were just a phone call away. Em had worked hard to repair her relationship with her mother after being a terrible teenager, but the distance was difficult. Not having family around was hard, even though technically her older half brother lived and worked in Manhattan.

She was just 11 years old when she understood how she came to be. Her two half brothers, who were hardly a facet in her life growing up, were significantly older than her. It wasn't the first time hearing the word _accident _but it was the first time she understood it what it really meant. She later realized she was the product of her mother's affair. She cheated on her first husband, Gordon, with Emilie's father, Bobby. Her life was unintentional, a not-so-happy surprise. It tore up Lily's family and took a long time to fix.

And for Lily, having another child late in life was not the plan. Her father, Bobby, was happy to have a daughter and doted on her as she grew up.

They made it through. It wasn't easy. Emilie acted out in high school - drinking on the weekends, mouthing off to teachers, a long term battle with an eating disorder, ditching school. It didn't stop her from having good grades, but she knew she added a lot of stress to her parents' life.

She had a positive relationship with her brother Marcus. She babysat his kids when she used to live at home for the summers. But her relationship with her brother Harvey was an entirely different story. His animosity towards Bobby and their mother often left her defensive and hurt. Despite her previous desire to be kind towards him, they hadn't spoken in months. On the surface, it truly just felt like Harvey never liked her. So, she didn't care much for him either. Their issues stemmed from one accident and one fight when Emilie was a teenager. It never got back to normal. Of course Harvey did finally make amends with their mother, and that left Emilie and him to be civil, mostly.

After graduating, she did one year of community college in Boston before moving to Manhattan to go to NYU. Now, she was starting her senior year and looking forward to moving to the west coast after graduation.

"I guess I'm excited. I miss the routine! I'm also just grateful I still get Fridays off with my schedule this semester," Emilie finally responded to Jackie. She wasn't sure if she was being honest. She was just happy that summer was over. She grabbed her water bottle to take a sip, a yawn escaping her lips.

"Looks like it's time for your afternoon nap, Em!" She rolled her eyes as her coworker Ethan popped into the kitchen, grabbing a tray of fresh bread. Ethan worked full time at _SG_ and Emilie had really taken a liking to him. She had only worked there for about six months now, and she was grateful to have a friend, albeit an annoying friend, in him. It helped they also had found a _beneficial friendship _outside of the coffee shop.

"On that note, I'm outta here. See you Sunday, Jackie." Emilie hopped off the stool and grabbed her backpack, smiling at her boss and waving to Ethan on her way out the back kitchen door.

She paused once she was in the back alley, plugging her headphones into her ears. As she walked away from the cafe, she could feel her spirits fade. She was looking forward to having the rest of the day free, but was dreading returning to her apartment. She still had to stop herself from heading toward her old place.

"You live in Queens now, dummy," she said quietly to herself. She sighed then continued on her way. She had a date with the gym, a welcome distraction from her worried thoughts.

She stared at herself in the mirror after running on the track at the NYU gym. A nice addition to the monstrosity that was her tuition. She was lucky to have help from her parents (and her brothers, though she never asked) to pay for college but she worked hard every summer to save for rent payments and normal spending.

Her eyes swept over her body frame in the mirror. She was tall enough and comfortably lean but she couldn't stop herself from criticism. She liked to run and had strong legs - but she still never felt like herself in her body. She ran her fingers through her shoulder length dark blonde hair and sighed. Her relationship with her body was an ongoing battle and today, she felt defeated.

As she left the gym, she called her friend Leah - they were volunteering at the orientation events at NYU the next morning and planned on ending their week with a wine night. Emilie was also hoping to sleepover with Ethan one night over the weekend, too.

She smiled to herself as she headed towards the subway. One more year in the city then life would go on. She may as well make the most of it.

* * *

Emilie knew it would be hard to ask for help. Especially from Harvey. But she didn't realize the first roadblock would be even getting into the Pearson Specter Litt office.

"I'm sorry, but if you don't have a badge, code or a registered appointment with a business in this building, you cannot access the elevators."

Emilie swallowed hard before letting out a breath. It seemed her first idea of asking politely wasn't working in her favour.

It was Thursday. She had hardly slept the night before and had been up early for a lecture. She wanted to skip it but she felt guilty missing classes in her first week of the semester. She had spent most of her class researching tenant rights in New York State _again_. She was left feeling pretty defeated but she didn't want to give up without a fight.

She smiled politely at the security guard in front of her. She took a quick scan of his name tag and tried again. "Look, Charles, I'm really in a bind here. Is there anything you can do to get me upstairs?"

He shook his head, then leaned forward at his desk, "Card, code, or appointment, sweetheart."

Emilie bit her tongue to save from swearing at the gruff man in front of her. She put her hands up to him as a sign of defeat and stepped back.

"Fuck," she let out quietly. She noticed a grey leather couch near the window. She wasn't even sure if her brother was in the building. It was late afternoon. She couldn't just wait. Or could she…

She plunked herself down on the couch and pulled a book out of her backpack. She gave the security guard a spiteful smile as he looked over at her. She knew this ploy wouldn't last long but she had nothing to lose.

"You can't just sit here all day," Charles said as he walked over to her. She knew he was right but she also knew all he could really do is ask her to leave then _maybe _consider calling the police about loitering. It seemed like a waste of resources but she had a feeling Charles' low intimidation factor didn't work out very well for him.

"If you had just let me go upstairs, I likely would have already come and gone. C'mon, Charles, I won't tell anyone you let me bypass the rules." She gave him a genuinely kind smile this time.

Charles didn't smile back

"Listen, Miss, you're going to have to leave," he said calmly, motioning to the door.

Before Emilie could continue protesting, a young dirty blonde 20-something stopped in front of them, a cup of coffee in one hand and a pretzel in the other.

"Chuck, didn't I say I owe you a pretzel?" he extended the salty snack to the security guard, flashing a smile. "What's going on?"

Charles took the offering and relaxed, "Just politely asking a loitering stranger to leave. But I think it's time for my 15. Promise me you won't be here when I get back." He nodded his head towards Emilie. She just shrugged at him. He rolled his eyes as he walked away.

The young man in the suit her a quizzical glance, "Are you reading _The Hobbit_ in French?"

She nodded her head, her cheeks flushed as he looked at her. She tucked the book into her backpack.

"Huh." He smiled at her. "I would recommend you listen to old Chuck. He's not much for scare tactics but he has a friend in the NYPD branch a few blocks away. I've seen him excuse people for less than sitting. He runs a tight ship in this lobby."

She sighed, "Thanks." She paused as he smiled and began to walk towards the inside of the building. "Wait, do you work upstairs? Do you mind letting me through with you? I assure you I'm not a threat to this building."

"Sounds like something a threat might say," he laughed, then shrugged. "Sure." He motioned for her to follow him, as they headed to the elevators.

"What floor?"

She paused as the doors closed, glancing to the small directional sign. "Uhm, 41."

"Pearson Specter Litt?" He shot her another strange glance.

She nodded, turning to secure her backpack on her shoulders.

They rode up the elevator in silence, the suit quietly sipping his coffee with one hand and typing into his phone with the other.

When the elevator arrived at the 41st floor, he motioned for her to step out ahead of him as he followed.

She paused when she saw the front desk. The three receptionists were busy directing phone calls.

"Who are you looking for?" The suit asked her.

"Uhm, Harvey." She sighed and slowed down. "Harvey Specter."

"I'll show you his office. Is he expecting you?"

She laughed at his question, matching his calm pace as they weaved through the office. "Definitely not."

Emilie couldn't remember the last time she had seen Harvey in person. She had called him at the beginning of the year when she needed his help for something else, and he had not been responsive or helpful. In fact, their entire phone call had unravelled into a huge fight. Regrettable things had been said on each side. She had deleted all her contact info for him out of her phone. It wasn't their first fight by any means, but it was their worst one.

Despite her pride, she wasn't sure who else to turn to this time. She didn't have money for a proper lawyer and was really hoping he could set aside their differences and help her.

As they approached the end of the hall, Emilie took in the large glass walls, peering into each office as they passed by. They stopped in front of the generous corner office.

"Ten bucks says he comments on your jeans," the suit tilted his head to her, a smirk on his face. She glanced down at her legs. They were adorned with a pair of light denim, which had a few decorative holes. She let out a sigh. Her brother's comments about her clothes were the least of her concerns.

The young man in the suit tapped on the glass door and pulled it open, causing Harvey's attention to pull away from some documents on his desk. He glanced at Mike then to the girl beside him, with a confused look on his face. He stood up quickly, giving a double take to the pair at the door.

"Emilie," he took a few steps away from his desk. "Mike, you can go."

"I'd love to see how this plays out." Emilie glanced at the excited look on Mike's face, putting a name to the mysterious suit.

"You owe me case files for Berkow, so that should be occupying your time right now."

Mike shrugged and walked away, taking one last glance towards Harvey's office.

Emilie wasn't invited in so she remained on the outside of the door frame.

"Harvey, I need your help."

* * *

"Harvey, I pushed the partner meeting up to four, if you don't mind. Your calendar looked clear." Jessica paused as she remained outside his doorway. It was a warm Thursday for September, and she was hoping to enjoy a glass of wine on her terrace for once.

Harvey glanced up from the paperwork in front of him, noticing his boss at the door.

"Does Louis know we're not ordering in Malaysian then?" He smirked at her, shrugging. "Four is fine." He glanced at his watch. 3:40 already.

Jessica rolled her eyes and smiled, "Well, I'm hoping we can keep it under an hour tonight."

Harvey returned to his notes as she walked away, knowing full well that a partner meeting running less than an hour was a pipe dream. He sat back in his chair and glanced outside for a moment. It had been a long day. For whatever reason, he had been inspired to go for a run through the park in the morning, but his eager morning energy had certainly depleted.

The cool morning air was a refreshing reminder that fall was coming, which gave Harvey a strange sense of comfort. Fall was easy – crisp, warm. He shook his head from the distracting thoughts, returning to the notes from his recent disposition on his desk.

Moments later he heard a tapping on his glass door. He assumed it might be Donna – it wasn't uncommon for them both to hit a wall mid afternoon and need a break to chat. As he turned his head, he spotted Mike at the door with someone. Someone. His eyes widened for a moment when he realized he knew who that someone was.

That someone was his little sister Emilie.

He hadn't talked to Emilie in months. After making up with his mother a few years ago, he tried his best to continue an amicable relationship with his sister, especially since she was going to school in the city. But it hadn't panned out how he wanted. He made sure Donna checked in on her every week when she visited the coffeeshop she worked at, but seeing his sister in person after so long was a shock to his system.

Despite his tumultuous relationship with his mother, which he worked hard to repair, he had tried to be in his sister's life. He knew Marcus had more of a relationship with her. Most times he thought of her, which was more often than he would admit to most people, his mind immediately jumped to a younger version of her. Four-year-old Emmy building a card tower at the kitchen table in Marcus' old apartment. Twelve-year-old Emilie belting out a song at her school Holiday concert. Stick thin 16-year-old Em rolling her eyes with a cigarette in her hand. Those were fragmented memories of moments with his sister.

But standing at the door now was 24-year-old Emilie. No, 23-year-old Emilie. An adult version of his little sister. She had on short laced boots, eye roll worthy ripped denim, a plain black t-shirt and a heavily worn army green jacket. She had a backpack hanging from her shoulders. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled into a messy half ponytail thing. But it was her eyes that stood out most to Harvey – piercing blue, like his own. But they looked especially empty when he looked at her – empty and tired. He had seen her looking worse, much worse, at the peak of some troubling high school years. But seeing her in person here was comforting in a way. A reminder she was alive and well.

It was comforting until he remembered the last time they spoke.

He sighed and stood up. _Emmy. _

"Emilie." He took a few steps towards the door. What does she want now? It was unfair to assume his sister had some sort of alternative motive, but he knew this was not a social visit. Emilie and Harvey don't do social.

"Mike, you can go."

"I'd love to see how this plays out." Harvey did not have time for witty banter with his protégé.

"You owe me case files for Berkow, so that should be occupying your time right now."

He watched Mike walk away, knowing full well a strange interrogation was in his future.

Emilie remained at the door, hesitating to step into Harvey's office.

"Harvey, I need your help."

Harvey pursed his lips together and motioned for her to come in. He bit his tongue to avoid any unfair comments, a wave of memories of their last interactions coming to mind.

He returned to his desk chair and watched as she looked around his office for a moment.

"So, what's up kid?" She hated when he called her kid. "Do you really intentionally buy jeans with holes in them?"

Emilie dropped onto the couch and looked at her brother, ignoring his commentary, "I'm having an issue with my landlord."

"Again?"

"It's a long story. But I want to break my rental contract if possible without paying a penalty. I just don't know how to do that."

"Didn't we go over this before? You need to find a sublet or hope you have a forgiving landlord." Harvey sighed. He wasn't well versed in landlord and tenant law in the city anymore, he had bigger things to worry about.

"I'm trying but this is a bit more complicated than that, I think. I don't know. I just need some advice. If you would let me just explain everything." Emilie did her best to control her breathing and tone. Harvey's arrogance often came out when she asked him legal questions. She just needed an easy explanation.

"I don't have any time for this today, Emilie." He glanced down at his watch. "And I have a meeting right now."

"Harvey, come on, you know I wouldn't even be here unless I really needed -

"Free legal advice from your _piece of shit lawyer brother_? Wasn't that the term you used last time this happened?" He stood up from his chair, grabbing a stack of documents off his desk. Emilie sighed and rolled her eyes as she followed him out of the room.

"Harvey," she quickened her pace to meet his as he stopped outside of a board room. "Please, this is really hard for me to explain but I found-."

"My family and friends billing rate is $300 an hour." He said simply, cutting her off.

Emilie bit her tongue to stop herself from swearing at him. She wanted to fight back, and she knew he expected it, but she knew it wasn't worth it.

"Well, never mind. Thanks for nothing, Harvey." He raised his eyebrows at her calm response then went into the conference room, leaving her standing alone in the hallway.

Emilie didn't even bother giving him another glance. She just turned on her heel and headed back towards the elevator area.

She stopped when she saw Mike and a familiar looking redhead at the end of the hall. They were both leaning against another reception.

"Sorry to interrupt," she started, looking between Mike and the redhead. "Wait, do I know you?" She was a Friday morning regular at the cafe. "Dirty chai latte."

"I'm Donna, hi." Emilie smiled curtly at the introduction. "I've worked with your brother for years."

"Wait, what? Harvey's your brother?" Mike's jaw dropped open, looking from Donna to the younger girl.

"Half brother. Unfortunately." Emilie responded, a dry look on her face. "Would you have any recommendations for a legal clinic in the area?"

"Why? What do you need help with?"

"Mike," Donna said his name with warning. She looked over at him, doing her best to discourage him from getting involved.

"I need to get out of my rental agreement and Harvey charges $300 an hour, apparently." Emilie rolled her eyes and defensively crossed her arms. "Don't worry about it though, I'm going to just leave before he realizes I'm still here with his stupid Harvey spidey senses. It was nice to meet you both."

She smiled at them again then hurried away.

"Hey, wait up." She turned to see Mike catching up with her at the elevators.

"You know he's not going to act positively if you help me."

"I can handle Harvey. And I can spare 15 minutes, if you want some free legal advice."

"You had me at free."

* * *

"So, how come you don't talk about your secret sister?"

Harvey rolled his eyes as Mike quipped from across the room. Between the appearance and his argument with Emilie, plus a frustrating partner meeting, he didn't want to put up with Mike's shit, too.

"Emilie is not a secret."

"You've never mentioned her."

Harvey sighed, "What do you want to know, Mike?"

"Everything? She looks like you, now that I think about it. It's the smirk. Or the eyes."

Harvey wanted to shut him up. "Here's the summary: she's my half sister. My mom was pregnant when she left my dad. I didn't grow up with her, hell, I'm old enough to be her father, really. She goes to NYU studying something related to design and computers. She's turning 24. She works at a coffee shop. She's got an attitude problem and only talks to me when she's in trouble these days."

Mike watched him as he spoke. "Listen, Harvey, I'm not trying to insert myself into this part of your life, but I talked to her when she was leaving and-"

"Of course you did." Mike Ross and his do-gooder curse.

"I think there's more to this landlord situation than she told you. Or me. I don't know, she looked kind of scared."

Harvey looked over at Mike. Who was he to analyze his sister's emotions? Scared? Harvey would have noted if something was really wrong. He did catch that she didn't have much fight in her - usually she didn't give up so easily when someone said no, especially Harvey himself. Her eyes had looked tired. And empty. Maybe worried.

Harvey sighed. Maybe it was his turn to get the Friday morning coffee.


	2. Long Story

_A/N: Chapter 2 is ready so here we go! Thank you for the interest so far in this story, I'm enjoying writing and researching for it. I appreciate every follow, favourite, view and visit. And thank you to the two who left a review: Guest and cicia724. Onwards with Chapter 2, I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

Harvey used to spend a lot more time in the Greenwich area when he first moved to the city. Young Harvey soaked in the diversity and unique shops and bars in the area. But current day Harvey didn't have much time for social exploration.

He paused outside of _Stomping Grounds_ and planned out how he was going to approach this situation with his sister. He had to admit he was being more confrontational about the whole thing. Considering their history, it was still surprising his sister hadn't fought back with more passion. He really just hoped she would see his visit to the cafe as a peace offering, instead of an ambush.

He entered the cafe to find a small, bustling shop. His senses were flooded with the scent of roasting coffee beans and fresh baked pastries. He stepped into the line and glanced behind the counter to see if he could spot his sister. His eyes landed on her working busily at the espresso machine, catching a glimpse of her dark blonde hair tossed into a messy bun.

After ordering his drinks and half a dozen assorted cookies (including more ginger snaps), he waited patiently at the other end of the counter. He checked his emails as he waited, but spent most of the time watching his sister work. She was diligent and fast paced, but the smile on her face remained.

"Dirty chai latte and a dry cappuccino for...Harvey?" He finally heard his sister's voice call out his order and paused in front of the counter.

"I hope you left a generous tip, Mr. $300 An Hour." Her smile faded as she looked over at him.

"Do you have a few minutes to talk?" He ignored her comment and hoped she could make the time. She glanced to her coworker who just nodded for her to go on.

She took a seat across from her brother at a small table in the corner.

"So, what's going on?" Harvey did his best to read his sister's body language as they sat. She was guarded, stiff.

"My landlord installed security cameras. Without asking."

Harvey paused. "No written notice he was going to enter your apartment? Is there a note in your agreement about surveillance equipment?"

"He mentioned to me in passing was that he was thinking about installing a camera _outside_ the entry door to the staircase. Not when or why or that -"

"Staircase?" Harvey wracked his brain to remember his sister's unit. She and her roommate lived on the third floor of a building near Washington Square. Or that was the information coming back to him from their infrequent chats over the last few years.

"I moved in March." She sighed. "To a studio. In Queens."

"What? Why?" He watched her face fall. "Don't tell me, it's a long story?"

"Harvey," she started again, then struggled to find her words. She glanced around the coffeeshop nervously. How did she even start? "I only have a few minutes."

"Okay, if I'm going to help you, I need to know everything. What time are you off work?"

"I'm here until three today."

"Can you come by my office again when you're done? My calendar opens up around four. Bring a copy of your rental agreement, if you can."

"Can you make sure that annoying security guard knows I'm allowed in the building this time?"

* * *

Emilie was waiting for Harvey in his office. The redhead, Donna, had intercepted her as she walked in and let her know Harvey was on his way back from a meeting.

Emilie took the time to gaze through Harvey's record collection. She was curious as to why he displayed such a thing in his office at work but soon realized this was likely where he spent the majority of his week.

"I really do need to put up a Do Not Touch sign on those shelves." Emilie turned to see her brother walk in, shaking his head at her. She pulled her hand away from the records and crossed her arms over her chest.

Mike showed up at the door a few minutes later.

"Mike's better versed with the landlord tenant law in New York - I hope you don't mind." Emilie knew from his tone that his junior partner's presence was not optional. She just nodded and joined them as they sat down at the table.

She pulled out the agreement she had signed with her landlord and handed it to Harvey. He gave it right to Mike.

"So, is it just the camera outside your door?" Harvey started to write a few things down. Honestly, the whole thing seemed pretty cut and dry. Installing cameras without notice is not great but an easy way to break her agreement if nothing was stated.

Before Emilie could say anything, Mike interrupted.

"Did you provide him with a piece of ID when you signed this?"

Emilie thought for a moment, "I'm sure I showed him my license."

"Look," he showed the document to Harvey, "Slam dunk."

"Wow," Harvey smirked.

"What?"

"I take it your legal name is Emilie with an 'ie' not a 'y'.

She grabbed the paperwork back from him, "I never noticed that. Will that hold up?"

"Legally it's rented to Emily Bryant, with a Y." Mike explained to her. "So, we can get you out of this easily." The two men broke into some basic discussion, throwing around legal jargon Emilie wasn't familiar with.

She shrunk into her chair, tangling her hands together in her lap.

"There's something else," she said quietly. Harvey and Mike paused to look over at her.

"What kind of something else?" Harvey's tone was apprehensive. His sister looked worried.

"I knew about the camera outside the door. I mean, it was obvious and I can understand some sort of safety purpose or insurance or something." She paused to swallow, her mouth suddenly feeling bone dry. She looked down, "I think I also found one in my bathroom." The room fell silent.

"Shit," Mike said quietly, putting down the papers in front of him.

"When did you notice it? Are you sure it's a camera? Did you touch it or move it? Is it connected to anything or is it wireless?" Harvey's questions spilled out quickly as he looked at his sister. It's one thing to install surveillance equipment outside for security but inside someone's bathroom? That was a huge invasion of privacy and definitely illegal. "Why didn't you tell me that yesterday?"

"It's not an easy thing to lead with! I tired to get it out but, well, you shut me down pretty quickly."

Harvey opened his mouth to apologize but no words came out.

"And no, I didn't touch it. I've never really looked at the vent on my bathroom wall before but it was freezing the other morning so I was going to open the gate on the vent in there when I noticed this small black circle..." She sighed, avoiding her brother's gaze. "I obviously can't be certain it's a camera but when I waved my hand in front of it, I heard something. Like it's motion activated."

Mike looked over at Harvey. The colour seemed to have drained from his face as he listened to his sister. He wasn't sure exactly what to say or do next, but he did know that this was no longer a rental agreement issue, it was looking to be a police issue.

"Can we go to your apartment?" Harvey turned towards his sister.

She nodded to him, "Sure."

* * *

It was suddenly very obvious to Emilie how different their lives were when they climbed into the backseat of Harvey's town car.

Before the thought even crossed her mind that her brother had a driver on retainer, Emilie was planning out the most efficient subway ride back to her apartment.

"So, what happened with the ballerina?" Harvey turned to ask his sister as she looked out the window.

"Ballerina? Oh. Cassie." Emilie figured out he was talking about her old friend and now former roommate. "It's a-"

"Long story? We've got the entire ride to Queens, kid."

Emilie sighed. There was no point withholding any of the details. Harvey was bound to piece things together when he saw her current apartment.

"In February I was under the impression she was resigning our lease agreement at our old place. Turns out she talked to our landlord on her own and signed on for a one bedroom apartment in a different building instead. To live with her boyfriend. That didn't bother me except then I was obligated to the two bedroom lease on my own."

"Technically you could have-

"Whatever you're about to say doesn't matter because I had no clue what to do. That's when I called you for help. You remember World War Three." They both sat in silence for a moment. "I just paid the penalty to break the lease. It was two months rent. Then found something I could afford. This little renovated studio in Queens."

"Did you tell mom? Do she and Bobby even know you moved?"

"They know I'm in a studio now. Not where it is or why I ended up there." She shrugged. "I didn't tell them for the same reason I won't tell them what's going on now. They do not need the added stress." Harvey didn't respond to her. He hated to admit they shared a lot of traits: closed off, wildly independent, never wanting to rely on others.

The rest of their car ride was pretty quiet, save for Harvey taking a call from Mike.

Once they pulled up at the address, Harvey took in the scene. It was an okay street, quiet and full of dated duplex townhouses. He followed his sister to the side of the house, heading down a set of outdoor stairs to her basement unit. He stopped her when they were outside the door.

"If that is a camera in your bathroom and it's active and someone is actually looking at it," Harvey's face tightened up for a moment as he delivered the words to her, "We can't draw attention to it. I just want to see what's going on before I call a friend of mine who's a detective."

"A detective?"

"Yes." Harvey didn't say anything else.

Emilie just nodded her head. She wasn't going to question his thinking although the whole thing was making her feel more and more uncomfortable. She couldn't help but think about what kind of footage might exist if that device was actually recording her in the bathroom.

She unlocked the door and headed inside, Harvey following behind. He took a look around the space. It was recently updated with new laminate floors, a small kitchen on the back wall and a mattress on the floor to his right. The whole space was just... empty. There were a few boxes in the corner, a lamp on the floor, a few stacks of books. In front of the small kitchen was an island with one stool.

"Were you robbed recently?" Harvey finally asked, looking around at the space, confused. He noticed a few canvas paintings leaning up against the left wall, with a small cardboard box of paint supplies spilling onto the floor.

Emilie just sighed, nervously tidying up a few dishes in her sink. "I sold everything I could when I had to leave my old apartment. Two months rent on my own was not easy to acquire." She did miss her couch. And bedframe. And bookcase. And stand up mirror. And most of her shoe collection.

Harvey exhaled quietly. He knew this wasn't his fault. His sister made her own choices. And yet, a feeling of guilt washed over him. He knew he could have helped her out before. If his stubbornness hadn't gotten in the way. If her pride hadn't overcome her. His heart dropped thinking about her selling her possessions, down to her bed frame, just to move into a small shoebox in Queens of all places.

He was struggling to find something supportive to say.

She changed the subject to the reason why they were even in her apartment. "The bathroom is there," she motioned to the door on the left wall, "The vent in question is up above the cupboard."

Harvey took a step into the bathroom. Straight ahead of him was the sink and mirror, to his right a small stand up shower with a clear door, with a window on the far wall. Then to his left was the toilet with a small shelf unit mounted above it. Without looking too hard, he glanced around the small space. He reached up to grab a towel from the middle shelf and swept his eyes over the vent as she has described. He wasn't a surveillance expert but there was certainly something abnormal about the design of the vent - there was a curious black circle near the top. A small circular hole indicated there might be an active lens or recording device built in.

He sighed.

"Does your landlord live in the building?"

Emilie nodded, "He owns this side of the townhouse. It's split into three units and he lives on the top floor. They've been renovating the middle unit for a few weeks." She paused. "They renovated this space before I moved in." The silence that followed her sentence was heavy. Has there been a camera watching or recording her bathroom all this time? She nearly threw up just thinking about it.

Harvey broke her chain of thought, "Have you been sleeping here the last few nights?"

"Well, I noticed it late Wednesday evening after I showered and didn't know what to do. I stayed here but didn't get much sleep. Last night I stayed with a friend who lives near the cafe." She didn't tell Ethan why she wanted to stay the night but he had welcomed her company.

"Okay, well, pack a bag. You're crashing at my place." His words were a final statement.

"Harvey, I'm not-

"Emilie, you're not staying here. Especially if that really is a camera." He paused to gesture around the room. "You don't even have a goddamn bed. How can you live like this?" She recognized his lawyer voice coming through and she didn't like it.

Emilie was grateful for her brother's help, but she knew the way he showed he cared often came out like this: judgemental and demanding.

"I don't know, I just had to make it work, okay?" She threw her hands up in frustration. She closed her eyes tightly, holding back tears.

"Let me help you, please?" Harvey softened his voice this time. Despite their indifference, he cared deeply for his sister. She was a spitfire, and she could be a real pain in his ass. He still hadn't really resolved his anger from their last fight. He knew their relationship growing up didn't count for much. But he also knew he couldn't leave her to stay in that apartment.

Emilie swallowed hard, and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before opening them to look at her brother.

"Can you promise not to tell Mom about this?"

"Emilie, I don't do promises. This whole thing could get messy." Of course he didn't want to tell his mother and her husband about what was going on. He also didn't want to have his sister tell them, either. "I won't say anything until we have to." He braced himself for a reaction from her.

Emilie stared at him for a moment then let out the breath she was holding, "Okay. I just need a few minutes."

* * *

The car ride back to Manhattan was just as quiet as the first. Emilie mainly stared out the window while Harvey answered emails or phone calls on his phone.

He broke their silence.

"You must wake up early on Fridays to get to work."

Emilie turned her head to him. "Up at 4AM usually. I try to get to _Grounds _by 5:30. Sometimes I'll stay over at my friends place."

"A male friend?"

She squinted her eyes at his comment, "Yes. I'm an adult and I have friends who are male. He works at the cafe, too."

An unusual feeling grew in Harvey's chest when he thought about his sister having a love life. Not that having a friend who was male meant anything but he was suddenly feeling very protective of her. Maybe it was the whole act of dealing with her potentially seedy landlord that was really stirring his emotions.

"It seems like you have something else you want to say, Harvey," she continued to look at him, trying to read his face. She knew he was good at staying stone faced and neutral.

"I just can't remember the last time we had a conversation that didn't involve you starting an argument with me."

She turned her head away from him again, crossing her arms, her gaze returning to the window, "Well, I usually nap after work so I guess I don't have the energy today." Truthfully, she could hardly remember the last time they had a real conversation at all.

Before Harvey could quip back, he was interrupted by his phone ringing. He looked over at his sister once more before answering, wondering what was going through her head.

He remained on the call until they reached his building. Emilie climbed out of the car after her brother, grabbing her duffel bag from Ray as he removed it from the trunk. She thanked him then followed Harvey inside.

He stopped at the doorman's kiosk once they were in the lobby.

"I need a new door code for Emilie Bryant, she may be coming and going for a few weeks." She heard him spell out her name and chat with the doorman.

"A few weeks?" She repeated to Harvey as they got into the elevator.

He gave her a stoic look, as if what he was about to say was very obvious, "Regardless of what happens with this camera situation, you're not living in that apartment anymore. You're breaking that agreement either way."

"It's all I can afford, Harvey."

He completely ignored her response, "Are you hungry?"

She sighed. "That depends. Are you cooking?" Emilie was suddenly aware she hadn't eaten since her piece of banana bread that morning. Her nerves had been getting the best of her. She also had a tendency to forget to eat. It was a bad habit that got her into a terrible mindset as a teen.

"I was going to suggest a pizza. Although, not that I need to defend myself, I am a good cook."

She gave him a skeptical glance. "Your contribution to Christmas dinner last year was canned cranberry sauce."

"No one complained about it." He smirked, shrugging.

It was only in the last few years that Harvey started going to all the family events again.

They stepped off the elevator on the 18th floor and headed down towards Harvey's place.

Emilie was already impressed but not surprised by the lavish condo her brother owned. Even though they had lived near each other for so long, it was Emilie's fourth year of university, neither sibling had made the effort to really spend time together. That's just how they were. Last year for Thanksgiving Emilie had even taken a train home on her own instead of driving with Harvey.

She also knew Harvey liked his privacy.

He gave her a quick tour - terrace, large kitchen and island, cozy den style living room, guest room, bathroom. He had his own en-suite so she was free to have her own space, too.

The spare room had a charcoal grey futon that converted into a double bed, a small glass desk and a wall mounted tv. It was already more furniture than Emilie's studio. She dropped her bag and backpack onto the floor and sighed. She did not anticipate this is how her week would be ending.

"I'm going to jump in the shower," she announced to Harvey as he leaned on the kitchen island, typing away on his phone.

Harvey didn't realize how long she was in the shower until she finally reappeared. She was trying to hide it, but he could tell her eyes were red. He could only assume she had been crying but he didn't want to press about it. Even if he did ask, he was certain she wouldn't tell him the truth about how she was feeling.

Harvey was sitting at the island on a stool, "Pizza will be here soon. Are you still doing the vegetarian thing?"

She nodded, sitting down at the far stool from him, but turned in his direction, "I am still doing the vegetarian thing, yes."

"Okay, well, good thing I ordered two pizzas, just in case. It's a sin to order a New York pizza without pepperoni." Emilie laughed at his comment, rolling her eyes. Harvey relaxed finally. He hadn't heard her laugh or smile all day. Maybe she was finally feeling kind of okay. Safe, even.

"So," Emilie started, pulling her phone out of her sweater pocket, "Did Marcus send you the kids first day of school pictures?"

Harvey nodded, a smirk crossing his face. "It's unfortunate Matteo looks so much like his dad with that dumb smile."

"Right?" Emilie laughed, "That was my exact comment. Marcus told me I was 'not as funny as I think' when I replied to him."

Harvey's smirk turned into a smile as he watched her laugh. He wasn't sure where the next few weeks were going to take him but for that very moment, he was happy to have her company.


	3. Red Flag

_A/N: Here is chapter 3! I am just ironing out the final full plot for this story. It's going to be a real adventure for the pair - a true testament to their relationship, if it can survive. I like big brother Harvey, but I think he's about to be in over his head with this sister of his. THank you to everyone who has taken the time to view, visit, favourite and follow. And thank you to Andelin, HoldYourHorsesMister and cicia724 for the reviews! I appreciate you all! Thank you and enjoyyyy this chapter. As a forewarning, there may be a delay before chapter four comes out due to a crazy few weeks ahead in my life. But it's in the works!_

* * *

Harvey and Emilie enjoyed a quiet pizza dinner. They each had a glass of red wine. After dinner, they both sat independently. Emilie curled up onto the corner of the leather couch with a book and Harvey sat at his desk under his shelves of books, working on a case.

They both wanted to ask the other if this was their normal Friday night but they hardly spoke.

Emilie wasn't sure what time she fell asleep on the couch, but she woke up hours later with a blanket draped over her body. She noticed Harvey had left a lamp turned on beside the couch but had otherwise retreated to his bedroom. She smiled as she pulled herself off the couch, dragging her feet to the spare room to try and actually sleep. Her bags had been moved to the desk and the bed had been made up, too.

Emilie knew the entire situation she found herself in was sudden and unsettling. She knew her living situation was not entirely secure, especially now.

She also knew reaching out to Harvey for help was risky but at this very moment, as she crawled under the blankets in his spare room, she had a sense of safety for the first time in months.

* * *

Harvey returned home Saturday afternoon to find his sister sitting on his terrace. Before stepping out to interrupt her, he dropped a bag of groceries on the counter and noticed a makeshift vase of sunflowers had appeared on his table.

He had been up early that morning to go to the gym, then spent a few hours at the office. He couldn't remember the last time he had gone to an actual grocery store but his sister's comment about his cooking had inspired him. He had a dinner date that night with a woman he'd gone on a few dates with, but he wasn't sure he wanted to go. He knew his hesitance was reason enough to cancel.

He had left a note for Emilie that morning about a few basic apartment things before he left, as she had still been in bed. He wasn't sure what the average university student did on a Saturday but he did want to iron out some ground rules while she stayed at his place.

He also needed to talk to her more about her landlord but he wasn't sure how to start.

He slid open the far door in the corner and stepped out onto the terrace, smiling slightly at the sight of her. She was wrapped in a blanket, laptop in front of her. She had headphones covering her ears and a concentrated look on her face. It wasn't exactly nice weather to be outside - it was a grey fall day, the temperature was cool and there was a sense of impending rainfall.

Emilie finally broke away from her laptop when Harvey was standing just a few feet away. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest. She almost didn't recognize him in casual clothes - he was wearing a grey sweater and dark jeans.

She pulled down her headphones.

"You know it's going to rain soon," he started, giving her a raised eyebrow. "You may want to come in."

"I know," she replied, closing her laptop, "I'm actually hoping for a thunderstorm. I was going to move inside a little while ago, but I got caught up in some work." Just as she finished her sentence, there was a loud crack of thunder above them. Her eyes grew wide as she grabbed her things and hurried inside behind Harvey.

"I haven't had a balcony or outdoor space in years so I figure I should make the most of it," Emilie continued once she had closed the door behind her. Moments later the rain started to pour down in sheets.

The brother and sister pair both paused for a moment to watch the rain fall, listening to the sound as the rain hit the windows.

"I'll admit I don't spend a lot of time out there," Harvey continued, turning his gaze away from the windows and walking into the kitchen. "I need to talk to you about a few things."

Emilie placed her laptop down on the table, dropped the blanket on the couch then sat on one of the island stools across from her brother. "Okay."

All day, whether he was at the office or running at the gym, Harvey's mind has been preoccupied by this whole situation with his sister.

Best case scenario, there was not a camera in his sister's bathroom. He'd help her find a new apartment. They might make amends. Life would go on.

Worst case scenario - well, he was trying not to think about it.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her after she sat down. He was leaning against the counter and facing her at the island. "Have you eaten anything today?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, Harvey. I had cold pizza for breakfast and when I was at the farmers market earlier I had lunch." Harvey knew he shouldn't have asked her and he knew it would annoy her, but there was a part of him that would always be concerned about her eating habits.

"Okay, what can you tell me about your landlord?" Harvey shifted from curious big brother into inquisitive lawyer quickly.

Emilie let out a breath and thought for a moment. "His name is Jason Moore, I don't see a lot of him. I think he has family in New Jersey because he's often gone on the weekends."

"Is he married?"

"I don't think so. I think he lives alone."

"How old is he?"

Emilie paused, "He's about your age, maybe a bit younger."

"Has he ever invited himself into your apartment?"

She shook her head, "No. he's always been very nice to me, he said he was grateful to have a quiet tenant. He said I reminded him of his niece." She paused. "Now that I think about it, when I first moved in he told me his door was always open if I needed anything. Or he'd invite me over for dinner."

Harvey's eyes grew a bit wider as she talked.

"I'm not an idiot, Harvey. I never went to his place. And I always kept my door locked. I just never had any reason to think he was anything but kind. Although I will admit he's always seemed a bit intense."

"Intense? What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to explain - he wasn't forceful but he asked me a lot of questions after I moved in. Always wanted to see if my internet was working okay or if I was having any issues."

"Can you remember any instance where he may have been in your apartment when you weren't there?"

She shook her head again, "I don't think so. Well, actually, I think he checks the smoke alarms every eight weeks."

Harvey gave her a hard glance.

"What? Would you rather I have been there alone in my apartment with him or have him in there without me? Why does this matter?"

"Because the police are going to ask you all these questions too, Emilie. And it's important that everything is on the table."

She didn't argue. Harvey's tone was serious and it made her even more worried.

"How much do you pay in rent?"

She sighed. "I pay $1100 all in. It was listed for $1300 but he gave me a deal. He didn't make me pay first and last or any security deposit, either."

"C'mon, Emilie. Was that not any kind of red flag? It sounds like he baited you into being his tenant."

"Is that a helpful comment?" She snapped at him.

"Well, I'm sorry but with a little common sense, this whole thing seems pretty clear. He wanted a young, female tenant so he could…" Harvey stopped himself from continuing. For a moment, he lost himself and forget this was his little sister sitting in his apartment.

"Harvey, has it occurred to you that I am scared out of my mind over this whole situation?" She put her hands down on the counter, balled into fists. She could feel her nails digging into her skin. "Months ago, aside from couch surfing this apartment was my only option."

She stood up off the stool and started to pace around the apartment, "Did you know that before I came to your office yesterday I threw up multiple times? If that's really a camera and there's footage of me, I just... I can't even bear to look at myself in the mirror right now because I'm so fucking ashamed that I let myself get in this situation."

"All I can do to distract myself is throw myself into schoolwork to shut my brain off from thinking about it." She swallowed hard, her voice was quiet. "I feel like I'm going to self-destruct."

Harvey let all her words sink in. He figured his sister wasn't herself these past few days but he clearly wasn't thinking of this from her perspective. He wanted to gather information that would help her but it didn't occur that maybe it was a much more delicate situation for her. And he was disappointed in himself for not being more careful about his word choice.

He was slightly grateful to be getting some honesty and real emotion from her. Finally. He also realized that over the course of the day, he hadn't even asked her how she was feeling.

Before he could ask, his phone started to buzz. He glanced down to see an incoming call from his dinner date. He sighed and glanced over at Emilie, who was staring at him, arms crossed.

"Oh just take it. Whatever. Don't let me interrupt your life." She rolled her eyes again and walked to the guest room, firmly closing the door behind her.

* * *

Harvey cancelled his dinner date. Then spent the evening alone.

Shortly after their argument, Emilie had left her room and said she was going out.

"_Where are you going?"_

"_Doesn't matter. If you didn't care about where I went at night two days ago, you don't really care now, either."_

"_Emilie." His voice was stern. _

"_Harvey." She mocked his tone. _

_He rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. "When will you be back?"_

"_That also doesn't matter." She was nearly out the door. _

"_Well, at least take a fucking umbrella!"_

He thought about uncancelling his date or calling another female friend to go for a drink, but he felt defeated. He almost called Louis to take him up on an earlier offer of going to the movies, but he knew even that act of desperation was just a distraction from thinking about his upset sister.

It wasn't his intention to stay up and wait for her. But he kept delaying going to bed. He finally texted her around midnight, although he wasn't certain she knew his number anymore. For all he knew, actually, she had blocked him months ago.

72 hours ago, he didn't feel the same sense of worry about his sister that he did now. Of course she crossed his mind often but it was always in a curious way. Now, she had charged out of his apartment hours ago without another word, and all he could think of was no-win situations. What if she didn't even come back?

Just as he was turning off the sports highlights reeling across the tv, he heard his door open.

He stood up off the couch and peered down the hallway, seeing his sister leaning an umbrella in the corner and peeling off her coat.

As she made it to the kitchen, she noticed her brother watching her from across the room, "Did you wait up for me?"

"I just happened to still be awake," Harvey defended himself. "Where were you all night? I think maybe we need to-

"Can we schedule this lecture for tomorrow night? I have to be at the cafe at 8." She pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time. "And if you need to know I was at the school library - I have a bunch of friends at Tisch and I often join their film club for movie nights."

Was Harvey really supposed to believe his rambunctious sister was spending the first Saturday night of the year at the library? He just stared at her for a few more moments.

Emilie didn't wait for him to respond. "Goodnight, Harvey," she said through a yawn.

* * *

Emilie was out of the apartment early Sunday morning. She didn't notice if Harvey was awake or even still home. The rain had cleared up, thankfully, and her walk to work from Harvey's was less than 20 minutes. She appreciated the convenience.

Her shift was over by one that afternoon and she was knocking on Ethan's door by two. He welcomed her into his apartment with a kiss and they promptly found themselves horizontal on his bed.

Ethan had been very easy to flirt with when Emilie started at the cafe - he was charming, casual, headstrong. He took his job very seriously and loved experimenting with different products for customers. He had taken a year of pastry school but dropped out, but Jackie had taken him in to help her bake.

Emilie didn't want to date him, per se. They had both decided early on, after one too many happy hour drinks, that they didn't need someone to date. But they each needed someone to do everything else with. So their friends with benefits situation was working well, so far.

There were moments when Emilie wanted more but she usually stopped herself from exploring those feelings. It was easier to embrace her desire to be alone than to let someone further into her life. And their situation worked.

Ethan was tall, with mocha skin, short black hair, and a glowing had stubble growing across his skin, as he usually did on the weekends before going clean shaven for his work week. He was captivating when he talked but could make anyone laugh. And his experience in the bedroom always blew Emilie away.

"Em," Ethan started to speak as they wrestled in his bed sheets, "What's wrong?"

She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, propped up on both arms above her. "Nothing?"

"You're especially aggressive today."

"Is that a problem?" she smirked, grabbing onto his shoulders and attempting to flip him off her. She climbed on top of him this time and reached up to pull off her shirt. "I don't want to get into it. I'd like to be home by four, though, so less talking." She leaned down and pressed her lips onto his, as he hands reached up to hold her close to his chest.

"I'm starting to think you only like me for my body," Ethan joked as she pulled away from him. She just smirked then shrugged. She let out a playful yelp as he grabbed her and flipped her onto her back this time, pressing his body against hers.

After an intense romp that lead to round two in the shower, Emilie was redressed and heading out the door.

"Want me to walk you to your stop?" Ethan asked her, as she ran her fingers through her damp hair.

"I'm walking, actually."

"To Queens?"

She hesitated. "No, I'm staying with my brother this weekend. A pipe burst at my apartment."

"Doesn't your brother live in Boston?"

"It's my other brother."

"Your life is so mysterious, Em."

She couldn't help but laugh, "I'll give you the whole family tree another time. See you Tuesday!"

* * *

Harvey's Sunday was a bit more casual than his Saturday. He made himself breakfast and coffee at home, then read the Sunday edition of the New York Times at his dining room table.

in the afternoon, he headed out for a run through Central Park. It was nice to try and clear his head on days like this. He was still not sure how to handle what was going on with his sister and her landlord, but he was hoping they could have a civil conversation about it this time.

He stopped by his favourite record store on the way home, quietly sorting through rows of old music to add to his collection.

As he browsed, he got a phone call from his sister in law.

"Don't tell me, the spell Marcus put on you finally wore off and you need out." He could hear her laugh on the other end.

"Harvey, you know I love your brother."

"For reasons I'm sure I'll never understand." He smiled to himself.

"I need your RSVP for Marcus' surprise party in a few weeks."

"Shit," Harvey didn't want to admit he had already forgotten about it. He had every intention of clearing his weekend at the end of September. "You know what, I'll make it work. I'll be there. I guess you only turn 40 once."

"Thanks Harvey. I know he'll be happy to see you. Lily and the kids will be, too."

"Did Emilie RSVP?"

There was a delay in her response, "Yes, I think she already bought her train ticket."

"Well, I'll see you in a few weeks then, Katie."

They hung up a few moments later. Transitioning to his normal family life had been strange for Harvey - after spending so much time apart, he still found himself anxious about family events. He had realized the only thing he could do was just let some things go and try to make peace, for the sake of having a fulfilling relationship with his mother.

He pulled up his calendar and made a few adjustments to the last weekend of the month. He then shot an email to Jessica about taking a half day that Friday afternoon as well.

He finally returned to his building around four and he ran into his sister coming home at the same time. They stepped into the elevator together and he peered over at her wet hair.

"Did you get caught in a sudden rainstorm?"

"I went to the gym after work."

"That's a terrible lie, kid. You don't have a gym bag and you're still wearing your work clothes."

She rolled her eyes and turned towards her brother as the elevator dinged at their floor, "Since you're so keen to know, I went and visited a friend after work and we had sex in his shower. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

She stepped out of the elevator in front of him and he stood there for a moment, jaw dropped open. She turned around and raised her eyebrows up at him, a full body shrug that said 'well, you asked.'

He followed her down the hall into his unit. Harvey was still stunned by her comment but he was trying to take it in stride.

"Emilie, there are some things we need to talk about."

"Right, the lecture." She smirked at him. "Just let me change."

She exited her bedroom a few moments later, dressed in a pair of black leggings and over-sized grey NYU pullover. She dropped down on the couch and watched as he fiddled with his French press.

"Coffee?"

She nodded, "Just milk in mine, if you have any."

He brought over a mug of coffee for her and sat on the chair beside the couch.

"So," he let out a breath, "I realize you are an adult and you value your independence. I know this is a short term living situation but I don't think it's unfair of me to ask where you're going or when you may be coming home."

"I'm not your responsibility, Harvey."

"I'm aware but you don't get to decide whether or not I care about you and your well-being. Especially if this," he struggled to find the words, "hidden camera thing turns into something else."

Emilie pursed her lips together for a moment, fighting off her initial angry reaction. She reminded herself that Harvey was, in fact, helping her for free and letting her stay with him without question. The least she could do was compromise.

"I will let you know my work and school schedule, and try to give you a heads up when I'll be out late." She spoke like they were making a business deal. "Can you put your number into my phone again?" She was embarrassed about asking him that, but she had been pretty definitive about cutting him from her life after their big fight.

"If it's the least I can do," he rolled his eyes, leaning forward to grab her phone and key in his number. "You got a text from Ethan, by the way." He squinted at her phone and she reached to grab it back.

"Okay, stop. Now, my turn." She pointed at him and circled her hand around. "You tread a thin line between brother and lawyer and it's annoying. In the past two days you've cut me off, or ignored what I've said multiple times. You don't play fair." She leaned back onto the couch then pulled forward again. "And stop calling me 'kid', it's condescending."

Harvey let out a breath and nodded. That was a fair ask. He knew he could be defensive with her, mainly because she always seemed ready to argue with him. But the version of his sister sitting in front of him was not as argumentative as he remembered. So, he needed to try harder.

"Okay."

"Okay. So, can you please tell me what happens next with this...situation." She scrunched up her face to think. "Let's just refer to it as a finch, instead of a camera."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Finch?"

"They're notoriously quiet birds. You would just forget they exist."

"Okay, I'll play along." He tilted his head to think for a minute. "If the police determine that's a hidden..finch in your bathroom, they will arrest your landlord and do an investigation. Hidden surveillance law is complicated and heavy. It's a class D felony to record someone without their permission where they are granted a reasonable expectation of privacy. It can get more complicated if-

Harvey cut himself off.

"If what?" Emilie asked him quietly. She tried to read what he was thinking but he had an impressive poker face. He didn't respond. Instead he stood up and headed over to his bar cart, grabbing a bottle of Irish cream. He walked back over and poured some into his coffee, and extended an offer to her. She just shrugged, so he splashed some into her mug, too.

"Harvey."

"Em," he sat back in his chair and looked over at her, pausing to sip his coffee. "If the _finch _actually took and kept video footage of you.." Harvey swallowed again, then did his best to remind himself that he was a lawyer and right now his sister was like his client. Just say the words. Just be honest. "If he actually took and kept video footage of you in the shower or without clothes on, then, well, that's a different story."

She just nodded her head slightly, pulling her legs up onto the couch and hugging her knees to her chest.

Harvey took another gulp of his coffee and watched her. This version of his sister - quiet, vulnerable, worried - was hard for him to accept. He felt a sudden urge to hug her, comfort her in some way but he didn't know how. This sudden protective feeling washing over him was new.

"First things first, we'll have to go back to your apartment. Tomorrow afternoon or evening. I have a friend who works as a detective for the 89th. He'll do a thorough search to see what's really going on."

She nodded, "You'll come with us though?" She didn't want to say it out loud again but she was scared about the whole process. Especially when she remembered there might be inappropriate recorded footage of her.

"Of course. If he's arrested, there will be a prosecutor handling the case but I promise I'll be by your side every step of the way."

"I thought Harvey Specter didn't do promises." She raised her eyebrows at him, a small smile turning up her lips.

"Yeah, well, sometimes I make exceptions. Sue me."


	4. Warm Milk

Emilie was waiting patiently in her brother's office. It was weird to think this was her third visit to his office in five days when she had lived in the city for years and hadn't thought twice about where Harvey worked.

She was waiting for him to get out of a meeting. Then they were going to meet Detective Jon Finnegan, then visit her apartment.

Easy.

Emilie couldn't get her mind to stop racing.

* * *

"Harvey, you know Bayer is one of our biggest clients. I need your help with this."

Harvey let out the breath he was holding. His day was not going as planned. He glanced down at his watch then to the stack of files in front of him, then back to Louis.

"Damnit." He knew he had to help Louis. A client of this caliber was not to be left waiting, especially when there was a dangerous lawsuit being filed against them.

"Okay, I need to go rearrange something. Give me twenty minutes then we can figure this out." Harvey pushed his chair out and stood up, furrowing his brow for a moment.

"Harvey, we don't have 20 minutes. If they go ahead and file-

"Louis, you either give me 20 minutes or you won't get my help at all." His words were final as he turned away, grabbing the paperwork off the desk and retreating from the conference room.

_Damnit. _

The last thing he wanted to do was go head to head with Louis right now. Well, actually, the last thing he wanted to do was take a detective to his sister's apartment to figure out if her sleepy landlord was secretly filming her. But working on a tough client with Louis was not ideal either.

He knew Emilie was waiting in his office, likely pacing around and purposefully messing up the organization of his record collection. He also knew Jessica Pearson would not be happy if he caused any upset with a long term client.

Harvey hurried through the halls until he found Mike, leaning up against Rachel's desk in her office.

"Rachel, hi. Mike," Harvey interrupted their casual conversation, "Are you busy?"

"Depends on what you need," Mike shrugged, smirking at Harvey.

Harvey didn't smirk or quip back. His face was stoic.

"Just waiting for some paperwork to come through from a client - what's up?" Mike stood up from his position, giving Harvey a quizzical glance.

"I need your help with my...pro-bono case." Harvey said slowly, as if he was speaking in code. He had asked Mike to keep quiet about the situation with his sister and hoped he had kept things to himself.

Mike just nodded, "What do you need?"

"Do you have a sweatshirt?"

* * *

Emilie was sitting in the backseat of Harvey's town car. Beside her sat Mike, instead of her brother.

She knew Harvey was busy, though she couldn't help but feel disappointed. His 'promise' of being with her every step of the way had already been broken. She knew it wasn't personal, he had looked apologetic when he explained Mike would accompany her to the apartment instead.

It was one thing to go through this stupid experience with her brother that she had a strained relationship with but it was another to do it with a stranger.

Her leg was bouncing up and down rapidly as they sat in traffic. She twisted a piece of her hair between her fingers nervously as she stared out the window.

"So, do you speak French?"

She turned her head to look at Mike, dressed in a zip up hoodie and dress pants. Harvey wanted him to look casual, in case anyone saw them there and got suspicious of the suit. Mike's eyes shot down to her French copy of The Hobbit that was sitting on her lap. Not that she could read much in the car.

"I do, yeah. Not exactly fluently but I'm trying to practice," she shrugged, grabbing the book and flipping through it.

"Don't most schools just offer Spanish as a language credit?"

"I'm mostly self taught - my grandma, on my dad's side, spoke French almost exclusively. She grew up in Northern France. So, she taught me a lot when she babysat me growing up. I've tried to keep up. I can write it better than I can speak it."

Mike just nodded, giving her a small smile.

Emilie couldn't get a read on this guy. He was quick witted, cute, and his rapport with Harvey was something she had never seen before. And his loyalty was clear, considering he didn't hesitate to end his work day to accompany Emilie to meet with the detective. Was this unusual favour from her brother a common occurrence for him?

"My apartment is an embarrassing empty space," Emilie suddenly shared, an apprehensive look on her face.

"Listen, I was a poor student once, too. And just straight broke for a while. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," Mike responded to her. His words helped Emilie feel a bit more at ease about the situation. They sat in silence for a few more blocks.

"I shuffled the order of Harvey's basketballs," Emilie quietly revealed, leaning back into the seat and closing her eyes, a smile crossing her face.

"You didn't," Mike responded to her, letting out a laugh. "He's going to kill you." She just shrugged at him. The rest of the ride was much more comfortable as they chatted. Mike was clever and had plenty of fun Harvey stories to share with her.

When they pulled up outside of Emilie's apartment, she was suddenly reminded exactly why they were taking the car ride together. As they stepped out of the car, she looked around quickly to see if she could spot her landlord's truck. While she was taking in the area, Mike walked a few cars down to greet who Emilie assumed was the detective.

This detective friend of Harvey's she had heard so little about was incredibly handsome. Emilie cursed under her breath as Mike walked with him back to where she was standing. He was tall, with chestnut brown hair and a chiseled jawline. If she had run into this guy anywhere else but here, she would have assumed he was a model, not a detective. He was dressed casually in jeans and a leather jacket.

"Emilie, this is Detective Jon Finnegan. Or Finn, I guess," Mike introduced the pair. "This is Emilie Bryant."

Emilie could tell instantly that Mike and Jon Finnegan knew each other. She could only assume this friendship Finn had with her brother was long term, considering his immediate assistance with her mess. She suddenly felt guilty for inconveniencing him, especially if the camera wasn't even a camera.

"Hi," Emilie said quickly, extending her hand out to the detective. He shook her hand with a smile on his face.

"Let's head inside then we can talk further," Finn said quietly, tucking his hands into his pockets after motioning for Emilie to lead the way. She walked towards the house and down the side stairs, unlocking her apartment door. The same empty apartment feeling washed over the group. Finn's eyes were darting around the place. Emilie just sort of stood around, suddenly even more aware of her desperately embarrassing living situation.

"So, you think there's a camera hidden in your bathroom? I saw one outside, small but not discreet," Finn said to her, pointing back towards the door.

"The bathroom is in there," Emilie motioned to the door on the left, "There's a vent above the cupboard and I thought I heard something move, like it was motion activated. Now, I preemptively apologize if I was all wrong about this situation and I don't mean to waste your time."

"He's the expert," Mike reassured her, "Even if it's nothing, there's no harm in checking the place out."

Emilie just nodded at him, swallowing hard and meandering around her small apartment. She pulled out some clothes from one of her laundry baskets stacked near her mattress and packed them into her backpack.

"Mike, come here," she heard Finn call. "Help me out with something." Emilie stood still where she was, watching as Mike fit himself into the tiny bathroom. She heard them rustling around, then heard someone say 'shit'. She took a few steps towards the bathroom and saw Finn standing on the toilet, pushing up a ceiling tile.

He hopped down and both men left the bathroom. He stopped and pointed toward a far door at the back of her unit, "What's behind that door?"

"That's the laundry area," she said, heading back that way and opening the door. She revealed a small unfinished area, with another staircase leading up into the house. To the right of the stairs was a set of washer and dryers, then on the far wall was another door. Finn pointed to the door.

"Uhm, I think that's some sort of utility room? I think the router is in there, maybe the electrical panel? I've never seen the inside."

"Look," Mike pointed upwards to the unfinished ceiling, indicating to where a thick blue wire was leading from inside the apartment to that room. Finn looked closely at the wire, then back to Emilie and Mike.

"Is this room always locked?" Finn walked over towards it, turning his head to Emilie.

"I don't try it, but I've never seen it opened," she shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. She watched him try the handle with no success is opening the door. He looked discouraged for a moment, then motioned them back into her apartment.

"Okay, I don't want to alarm you Emilie but yes, that is a camera in your bathroom vent."

Mike looked from Finn over to Emilie, who was just staring at him with wide eyes. She nodded her head very briefly.

"I'm going to come back with a partner tomorrow to arrest your landlord and get a warrant to search the place. You're not staying here, are you?"

Emilie shook her head.

"Good. Now, if he's actively watching that camera…" Emilie stopped listening to the detective. It felt like her eyes just glossed over and her brain filled with fog. This wasn't happening. This isn't real. She glanced around the apartment as Finn continued to talk with Mike. She saw Mike grab his phone and start to make a call, while Finn headed back towards the bathroom to take another look and take photos.

She felt like time paused as she stared off into the distance.

"Emilie?" She felt Mike's hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, let's get out of here." She just swallowed hard and nodded, grabbing her backpack off the floor. They walked out of the apartment behind Finn, who locked the door and handed the keys back to her.

"Keep any record if your landlord tries to talk to you, but please don't contact him," Finn told Emilie. "I'll be in touch tomorrow because we'll need an official statement."

Emilie nodded _again. _What else could she do? Her mouth felt dry, her brain cloudy. What was she supposed to do?

She saw Ray had pulled up and was waiting for them at the curb. Mike walked over and opened the door, motioning for her to get in. She slid across the seat and leaned her head back, squeezing her eyes closed.

"Are you alright?" Mike turned his head to look at her.

Emilie couldn't help but laugh, "No, obviously not. And I don't want to sit here and talk to a stranger about how I'm feeling, either."

Mike didn't respond. A few moments passed.

"I'm sorry. That wasn't fair. It's just that up until ten minutes ago this whole thing wasn't real. Despite this uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach, I could easily still convince myself that there was nothing wrong, my suspicions were incorrect. And now it's real." She sighed, grabbing her phone from her pocket. She noticed she had a few messages from Ethan. She worked with him tomorrow afternoon and he wanted to _hang out _after. She could hardly think straight but she responded positively to him, although she requested he get some weed from his roommate for them, too.

She wanted to stop feeling anything.

"Wanna go for a beer?" Mike interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm going to need something stronger than a beer."

* * *

_When Harvey knocked on the door of his brother's new house, he was surprised to see his sister opening it._

"_Hi Harvey!" _

_He smiled slightly at the sight of her - toothy smile, overalls, hair a mess. _

"_Emmy, what are you doing here?" Harvey asked as he walked in, placing the six pack of beer on the table near the door. The question was really for Marcus, who was sitting on the floor of his living room unpacking a television. _

"_Only my dad calls me Emmy now. My friends call me Emilie." Harvey raised an eyebrow at her, standing in front of him with a hand on one hip. When did his little sister grow up? Eight years seemed to fly by. _

"_Well, Emilie, can you put these in the fridge for your dear brothers?" _

"_I'll do it for a dollar." She gave Harvey a half smile. Did his little sister just smirk at him?_

"_Nice move, kid." Harvey pulled a dollar out of his wallet. She snatched the bill from him and grabbed the bottles of beer, dragging her sock feet to the kitchen. _

_Marcus stood up and greeted his brother with a hug. _

"_Good to see you, Harv."_

"_I didn't realize boys night was code for babysitting," Harvey commented, dropping onto the couch as Marcus continued to fiddle with his TV. _

"_It was actually code for helping me set up my surround sound system," Marcus replied to him, pausing to glance around to see where Emilie ended up. "Bobby's mom collapsed this afternoon, when she was watching Em. I'm trying to keep her-_

"_Distracted?"_

"_Yeah."_

_Harvey pursed his lips at the mention of his mother's partner. He had a hard time balancing his affection for his sister with his animosity towards Bobby. _

"_Is she gonna be okay?" _

_Marcus shook his head. Harvey nodded in response. _

"_Emilie, come tell Harvey about your new boyyyyyfriend!"_

"_Marcus," her voice squawked from the kitchen, then she rushed into the living room. "Lucas is not my boyfriend. He just sits beside me on the bus and shares his Fruit by the Foot with me."_

"_Emmy, I'll give you another dollar if you bring me one of those beers."_

* * *

Harvey ignored his phone for 36 and a half minutes while he and Louis fixed the mess an idiot copywriter at Bayer had made. He left the final statements to Louis to handle and finally escaped the conference call and board room.

He glanced down at his phone and saw two missed calls - one from Jon Finnegan and one from Mike.

He called Finn back and got all the details he needed.

Mike messaged him to let him know he was at a pub a few blocks away with Emilie.

Harvey was equally comforted and annoyed that Mike was hanging out with his sister. He didn't want her to be alone, especially not knowing how she was going to react to this whole mess. But was Mike Ross really the one he wanted her to be having a drink with?

Harvey wrapped up a few more things at the office then headed out to join them.

Harvey was headstrong. He had a reserved exterior for a reason - over time, working with criminals and deceitful clients, he knew better than to be soft and trusting. Having his guard up was always going to be easier. But right now, his mind was racing about what happened next.

He knew there was nothing he could do _right now_ to help his sister aside from just be there for her. But he wasn't entirely sure he knew how to do that. He could argue and fight for clients easily - he was the best closer in Manhattan for a reason - but protecting the people he loved called for a different version of himself.

He found Mike and Emilie occupying a tall table near the bar at _Reilly's_, a pub near the office.

Harvey loosened his tie as he made his way over towards them, taking a seat beside Mike. He glanced down to see Mike nursing a pint of beer, while his sister was holding onto a glass of some sort of mixed drink. An empty glass beside her indicated this was not her first beverage since they got there.

"Harvey," Emilie greeted him, taking a moment to push her hair back. "You missed a thrilling apartment tour."

Harvey just sighed and looked over at Mike. "Please tell me you ordered something to eat?"

"Just a beer so far," Mike paused, then looked over at Emilie, "And three vodka sodas."

"I'll be back," Emilie announced, sliding off her chair. They watched as she headed towards the washrooms.

Harvey looked around for a waitress. He ordered a beer when someone finally stopped at their table, burgers for him and Mike and a veggie burger for his sister.

"Thanks again for going with her," Harvey turned to Mike, a look of genuine appreciation on his face.

"Of course," Mike replied, "Your sister is actually pretty clever. Sassy as all hell, but she seems to be down for talking shit about you so we have that in common."

Harvey rolled his eyes, "Well, you do have the maturity level of a young 20 something female so I'm not surprised you get along."

He let out a long breath and took a sip of the beer that had been delivered to the table for him.

"Honestly, the whole thing is a mess. I can only guess how she's feeling, she seems pretty freaked out," Mike said, rubbing his thumbs along his condensed glass.

"Yeah, well, I don't know how to deal with it," Harvey pinched between his eyes for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut.

Harvey knew he could give himself an out here - he didn't _have _to deal with it. He could call his mother and Bobby. They could help, too. He could rent her a decent apartment and check in with her every now and then. He was busy with work.

But every time those thoughts crossed his mind, a sense of guilt accompanied them. He spent years without much of a relationship with his sister. He owed it to himself and to her to be there for her now.

Emilie returned to the table, interrupting their chatter. Her cheeks were flushed red. She grabbed her glass and finished the rest of her drink.

Harvey watched her closely - he wished he knew what was going on in her mind.

"So, how was your extremely important emergency meeting?" It was clear to tell she was feeling the effects of her three quickly consumed drinks but she was doing her best to remain pulled together. Harvey knew his sister started to drink early on in high school, something he was always annoyed his mother couldn't reign in.

Mike followed up. "How'd Louis handle McArthur?"

Harvey just shrugged then smirked, "The solution was staring right at him. He just needed expert guidance."

"Can I get you another drink, sweetie?" The waitress reappeared and paused in front of Emilie.

Harvey answered before she could respond, "She'll have a glass of water. Thanks."

"Sure," the waitress smiled at Harvey, "The veggie burger is taking extra time, but your orders will be right up."

"You ordered a veggie burger?"

"It's for you," he replied.

"I'm not hungry."

"Well, you need something to soak up that alcohol so we can talk about what the next steps are here with this whole situation."

She scrunched up her face, giving him an irritated look, "Mike already told me what's next." She paused, raising her hand, counting on her fingers. "Arrest. Investigation. Arraignment. Bail. Plea. Charges. Blah blah blah. Oh and that the justice system is incredibly slow."

Harvey couldn't help but laugh at her summary, "When you lay it out like that it seems so easy."

He didn't want to make light of a serious situation but maybe that was what she needed right now. A distraction.

"You've gotta admit she has a better grasp on how the law works than some first year associates," Mike chuckled, taking a drink of his beer.

"Mike also told me that female bartender over there shut you down a few weeks ago when you asked her out."

Before Harvey could react, the waitress returned with their food.

"Oh yeah, what else did this smartass tell you?"

* * *

"So, are you going to tell me what's really going on? Or should I just wait to handle the HR complaint about you chewing out that junior associate?"

Harvey plunked himself down on Jessica's couch. It had been a very long, frustrating week. Usually the weekend arriving was a relief.

He rubbed his hand across his face as he thought about his response.

"Is this about that pro-bono case you're being so tight lipped about?"

He leaned back on the couch and nodded.

"It's hardly a pro-bono anymore. It's for my sister."

"I didn't even know you had a sister, Harvey." Jessica stood up from her desk and paused. "Drink?"

"Please."

She took a few moments to pour them each a short glass of scotch, then sat down beside Harvey on the couch.

Harvey relayed the whole situation to his boss, detailing the history of his relationship with his half sister and how he wasn't sure if he was handling it very well.

"Tuesday night after she gave her account to the police and prosecutor, she went out and came home late, high as a kite."

"So?"

"So?" Harvey looked at her, confused, "Do I just let her do that? Not that I have any authority over her. Or that she would even listen to me. She won't even talk to me about how she's feeling, I think she's doing everything she can to avoid it."

"Harvey, can you blame her?" Jessica took a sip of her drink and shifted on the couch. "Look, I don't know your sister and maybe you don't either. But if I were in her shoes - displaced from my home, feeling violated and frightened, sleeping in my brother's spare room, a brother whom I have a tarnished relationship with - I think I would be feeling pretty lost."

Harvey sighed. He knew she was right. All those things had crossed his mind but hearing Jessica say them out loud made it all pretty clear.

Jessica continued on, knowing she didn't need Harvey to respond. "Okay so, who's the prosecutor on this?"

He rolled his eyes, "Some new kid. Gregory Wright. I'm hoping he can handle it."

"And who's representing her landlord?"

Harvey let out an annoyed groan, sipping his scotch, "Patrick Boone."

"Oh, that's unfortunate."

"On a normal day, I can handle Boone. But I have no idea if the prosecutor is ready for him. He's probably going to make this whole thing as slow and painful as possible. The fact that he plead Not Guilty already leads me to believe they have some elaborate defense plan."

"Well, let's just hope that investigation unearths enough evidence to charge him."

"He's already claiming the cameras were never actually recording anything."

Jessica scoffed. "There are some real sick bastards in the world, Harvey. I'm sorry your sister is the victim here."

"Yeah, me too."

"I think maybe you need to start with the basics: ask her how she's feeling. Always ask. See how it goes."

Harvey nodded. "Thanks, Jessica." He stood up, finishing off his drink.

"Oh and Harvey?" He paused at the door before he left, turning his attention to her again. "You'll apologize to that associate first thing Monday morning. If he even comes back."

"Yes, mom."

* * *

"Hi mom," Emilie said into her phone, "Hold on, I'm going to put you on speaker." She dropped her phone on the bathroom counter as she continued to straighten her hair.

"How's the new school year going, Em? Dad says all you've been sending him is pictures of your old looking professor."

"He looks like a muppet! I know it made Dad laugh."

"It did. But we also want to know how everything else is going? How's Jackie and the cafe?"

Emilie couldn't help but smile at her mom's response. Her voice was a comfort after a stressful week.

They chatted for a while as Emilie did her hair and makeup. She filled her mother in about her classes and work, carefully avoiding anything about her apartment situation.

"Emilie?" Harvey's voice echoed from the front of the apartment.

"Shit," Emilie murmured under her breath, dropping her makeup brush and grabbing her phone.

"Is that Harvey?" Her mom's voice came through the phone.

"Yes," Emilie switched her off speaker, holding the phone to her ear.

"Emilie?" Harvey's voice repeated. He finally found her in the bathroom beside the spare room, eyes wide pointing at her phone. She mouthed the word 'mom', pointing at her ear.

Harvey grimaced for a second.

"Emilie, what's going on? Are you with your brother? You nearly chewed my head off last time we talked and I mentioned his name."

"Hold on," Emilie just gulped and pulled her phone down. "You're on speaker again."

"Hey mom," Harvey said slowly, unsure about how this call was going to go.

"About time you two made up," Lily's voice was full of relief as she spoke.

"A pipe burst at my apartment, so I'm staying at Harvey's for a bit," Emilie spewed out. Harvey gave her a confused look and she just shrugged in return, eyes wide, mouthing 'sorry'.

"Really? Harvey, that's so nice of you."

"Well, don't sound so surprised."

"I just know you like your own space. You were never the type to share."

Emilie jumped in, "I was really in a bind, it should all be sorted out in a few weeks then I'll be out of his perfectly styled hair."

Harvey shot her an annoyed glance.

"Well, I'm just glad you're both managing to be in the same room together without yelling at each other."

Emilie just sighed and looked away from her brother. Lily said her goodbyes to her children then hung up a few minutes later.

Harvey and Emilie looked at each other and spoke without saying anything. That was awkward.

"Pipe burst? You know you'll have to tell her and your dad eventually, right?" Harvey crossed his arms and leaned on the doorframe, watching as she continued on with her makeup.

Emilie chose not to respond.

"Are you going out?"

"I am," she replied, making eye contact with him through the mirror. "Why?"

"Just asking," he responded, "I was going to see if you wanted to go for dinner."

Emilie paused briefly while she looked at him. Dinner was an odd request. She worried he had some ulterior motive. Despite sleeping two rooms away, they hadn't seen much of each other the last few days. Truthfully, she had been avoiding talking to him as much as possible.

"Rain check, I guess." She continued on with her makeup, pausing to look at her progress.

"Is that what you're wearing out?" Harvey asked her, eyeing her outfit.

Emilie gave him another confused glance. She looked at herself in the mirror to review her outfit: ripped dark denim skinny jeans and a cropped black tank top.

She turned to face him, placing a hand on her hip, "Yes. Did you want to share your fashion advice?"

It was moments like these that Harvey had to resist rolling his eyes and giving his honest opinion to her.

His honest opinion, which was that she should put a turtleneck on before leaving.

"Nope." He pursed his lips, standing up straight. "Maybe just wear a jacket. That shirt looks drafty." He just nodded his head after he spoke, as if that was the smartest thing he could think of.

* * *

Harvey ended up at dinner that evening anyway - with his cancelled dinner date from the previous weekend instead.

And it was fine.

Her name was Caroline and she worked in media. She was gorgeous, kept up a conversation and laughed at his jokes. But Harvey knew his heart wasn't in it. And when she obviously implied they take things back to her place, he had to politely decline.

He headed home alone, watching his phone for the time. It was barely even ten o'clock.

An hour later, he was sitting on his couch with a glass of wine, catching up on episodes of Survivor.

His phone buzzed not long after, and he was surprised to see a message from Mike: '_You'll never guess who's at the same karaoke bar as me right now.'_

'_Are you really admitting to being at a karaoke bar by choice?'_

After Harvey sent his response, he received a video from Mike. He tapped to play it on his screen and raised his eyebrows at what he was seeing.

After a few loud shouts from the crowd and people sitting near Mike subsided, Emilie's voice could clearly be heard, as she stood singing on the small raised stage, microphone in one hand and mixed drink in the other. She started to sing _Drops of Jupiter _by Train, and despite her presumed intoxicated state, she sounded just like he remembered. She always had a great singing voice.

Another message followed from Mike: '_She also flawlessly rapped a Macklemore song earlier. Weird choice for karaoke but impressive.'_

'_Do you mind keeping an eye on her? Do not under any circumstances buy her any drinks, so help me God.'_

'_Sure thing, boss.'_

'_Also, that CCR song you're thinking of doing for karaoke is a terrible choice.'_

'_How the hell did you know what I was going to pick?'_

* * *

Emilie's first choice for a Friday night adventure usually wasn't a karaoke bar, but Leah had insisted she come out.

She had met Leah by accident in the library in her second year, they were both lamenting over the lack of salty snacks in the vending machine late one night. And that was it.

Emilie had slid right into her circle of friends - all creative types enrolled at Tisch. It was a nice break from her tumultuous friendship with Cassie.

This particular night out was lead by Claire, who was studying musical theatre and _loved_ karaoke.

Their group shuffled into a big booth at the bar and split pitchers of beer, drinks and trays of shots. Claire usually slapped her dad's Amex down on the table during nights like these so overindulging was easy.

"Claire, I swear if you do one more song from Wicked they're going to kick us out," Emilie put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

Emilie turned her head to the stage as she heard her song and name called out. "Round two!" She slid out of the booth as her friends cheered obnoxiously, grabbing the sweaty microphone from the music guy.

She decided on her go to classic karaoke song by Train, and closed her eyes as she belted it out.

After her song, she headed directly to the bar with Leah. She saw a familiar face as she ordered her drink.

"Mike!" She exclaimed, smiling at him.

"Emilie, hey," Mike replied to her. He turned to Rachel, who was standing beside him. "This is Harvey's sister."

Rachel offered her hand to introduce herself over the crowd of the bar.

"You guys work with Em's brother?" Leah interrupted as they chatted. "He's so handsome."

"Half brother," Emilie corrected her friend. "Also, gross." She paused. "I think we should do a shot." Emilie was already feeling pretty buzzed but knew well enough she was intending to get drunk. And stop feeling things.

"I've been forbidden to buy you alcohol," Mike commented to her, putting his hands up in protest.

"Four shots of tequila, please," Emilie called to the nearest bartender. She reached into her small purse for cash. "I'll buy. So you're not breaking your moral code for my sake." Emilie smirked at him.

Mike glanced from Emilie to Rachel, who just shrugged.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Mike looked down at the golden liquid in front of him. His evening out with Rachel and her friends was supposed to be easy, and not end with him puking. He especially didn't think he'd end up shooting tequila with Harvey's sister.

"What Harvey doesn't know won't kill him, champ," Emilie put her hand on Mike's shoulder, smiling. "Unless you just want some warm milk and a baby blanket instead."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh, "I can see the resemblance to Harvey now."

Mike rolled his eyes at Rachel then turned to Emilie, "I will do one shot with you and we will never speak of it again."

Over an hour later, Emilie was standing outside the bar with a cigarette in her hand and she was _drunk. _She had set out to really release her inhibitions and she accomplished that mission. The only problem was she was over it. She wanted to go home, even though all her friends wanted to go back to the NYU residence for a party.

"C'mon, Em," Leah threw an arm on her friend's shoulder. "We'll stop at your favourite corner store for Doritos."

"No thanks," Emilie responded, taking a drag of the cigarette - she had sweet talked some stranger into giving her one. "I'm gonna pass out or throw up."

Mike and Rachel walked out of the bar next, saying goodbye to some friends who headed down the street. Mike stopped in front of Emilie and Leah.

"You two okay?"

Emilie nodded, dropping her cigarette to the ground and stomping on it with her foot, "You didn't see that." Mike just raised his eyebrows at her and smiled.

"Can you call her a cab? I've gotta go." Leah leaned in to kiss Emilie on the cheek then waved to Mike and Rachel as she dashed down the street to catch up with their friends. Emilie sighed, then stumbled back to lean on the side of the building.

"You need better friends," Rachel commented, extending a hand to Emilie to help steady her.

Mike reached for his phone to call a cab but Emilie protested, "I'll walk! It's only a few blocks to Harvey's."

Mike and Rachel looked at each other for a brief moment. They were not going to let her walk home alone. Mike was also assuming he could not convince her to take a cab. "Well, let's walk then."

As they headed away from the bar and towards Harvey's building, Mike texted Harvey: '_walking your very not sober sister home right now.'_

Harvey met Mike, Rachel and his _not sober _sister in the lobby.

"It was so nice to talk with you," Emilie was leaning on Rachel, resting her head on her shoulder. "I meant to tell you - you are stunning. Like you could be a model."

"She's too short to be a model," Harvey piped in, "Let's move this along."

"Grumpy," Emilie muttered under her breath, "Thanks for walking me home. Or here. Thanks for walking me here. To Harveyshome." She pointed at Harvey, then turned to Mike and Rachel, saluting them as they walked out the door to a cab that was waiting.

Emilie braces herself on the railing in the elevator - to keep from falling over and in anticipation of a grand Harvey speech. He didn't say anything as they made their way up to his floor.

Emilie kicked her shoes off at the door and stumbled into the apartment, stopping to sit on a stool at the island. Harvey grabbed a glass from his cupboard and filled it with water for her. He left it in front of her.

"Drink." She grabbed it and took a sip, turning to him and giving him a fake smile.

He rolled his eyes and headed out of the kitchen to search for some Advil and something for her inevitable nausea.

"Mike sent me a video of you singing earlier. You've still got it, kid."

"Great. Someone else recording me without my consent," she replied to him, her words slurred and her voice quiet. Harvey didn't respond to her, standing just outside his bedroom door, he watched her at the island.

"And stop calling me kid!" She laid her hands down on the counter, bending to rest her head on them. Harvey still didn't respond. He walked over back over to the middle of the room slowly, watching as her back started to move up and down, indicating her breath picking up.

"Emilie, are you okay?"

He could hear her sniffling as she rested on her arms.

She was crying.

"Emmy," he said quietly, walking over to her quickly. He didn't know what to do. He stood beside her and extended his hand out to rub her back.

He could hear her crying louder as she lifted her head up, turning her body slightly to fall into Harvey's chest. He put down the things in his hand and wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't remember the last time he hugged his sister.

"I know you don't care, Harvey, but I'm not okay. Can't you see I'm not okay?" Her body was shaking as she sobbed into his sweater.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here. I've got you."

* * *

_A/N: We_ _are really digging into these two emotionally reclusive siblings now - i loved picturing them making faces and mouthing things to each other while Lily was on speaker phone! It's going to be tough to crack open his sister but I think Harvey is always ready for a challenge._

_Thank you to all the people who read the last chapter - I've been nervous about writing for Suits but you've all made me feel welcome and like maybe I know what I'm doing. Big kudos to Andelin, maria iancu 0725 and cicia724 for taking the time to review. I appreciate your thoughts and feedback SO much. I will always be grateful for any review_


	5. Racecar Red

When Emilie woke up on Saturday morning, she felt like she had been hit by a truck. She was curled up on her bed facing the wall and she didn't dare try to move. Her stomach was rumbling with nausea, her head felt like it was being hit with a jackhammer. As much as she wanted to get drunk the night before, she was brimming with regrets now.

Usually she could mitigate a hangover but that didn't work out for her this time.

The problem this particular morning was the emotional hangover, too.

She rolled over onto her back and groaned. She moved her hand around on the bed and found her phone. She saw a few missed messages from Leah and Claire. She ignored them but read one from Ethan. She had no recollection of messaging him but apparently she had. Her texts to him were mainly incoherent but she did appreciate him checking in to make sure she was alive.

After she responded to him, she sat up in bed. She groaned again and immediately fell back down into the blankets.

A few moments later, there was a knock at the door. She didn't respond.

The door opened anyway.

"Good morning, sunshine," Harvey said to his sister, pausing to lean on the doorframe. He had a cup of coffee in one hand.

Emilie opened her eyes to look up at him then sighed. "I would not describe this morning as _good._"

"C'mon, let's go for a run," Harvey countered her unhappy response.

"Are you joking?" She glanced over at him. "Do you want me to vomit in Central Park? I don't think so."

"Okay, a walk then. Let's go. The fresh air will help your self inflicted illness."

"Can this walk end with a greasy breakfast?"

After a quick shower, Emilie was dressed and ready. Well, physically ready. Throughout her morning she had been having flashbacks to the night before - karaoke, tequila, vodka sodas, Mike Ross and his pretty girlfriend, crying into Harvey's chest - and she didn't want to talk about it. And she was hoping Harvey didn't want to talk about it either.

She met him in the kitchen where he was typing into his phone, dressed in his running gear. He glanced up at her as she walked in. She was wearing leggings and a grey zip up hoodie, under her army green coat. She looked outside and sighed at the bright light, putting on her sunglasses, too. Harvey couldn't help but chuckle.

"Can you please stop laughing at me?" She groaned at Harvey as they got into the elevator.

"It's my right as your brother to get some joy out of this misfortune," he replied, smirking. "Just like it's your right to roll your eyes at me."

"Not fair. I don't even have enough energy to roll my eyes."

Once they were outside, Emilie had to admit she found the cool air refreshing. Fall was coming into New York slowly but the crisp mornings were a reminder that summer was gone.

They walked in silence most of the way to Madison Square Park. Emilie did her best to keep up with Harvey's less than casual pace.

"So," Harvey started to slow down as they walked through the park. "You're smoking again?"

Emilie sighed. "I guess this conversation is happening. No, I had one cigarette last night. What else did Mike tell you?"

"Mike didn't tell me shit. You smelled like an ashtray when you got home."

"Oh. Well. One cigarette won't kill me." Emilie just shrugged. She paused to cough as she finished talking and Harvey gave her a skeptical glance. He stopped and sat down at a bench, inviting her to sit.

Harvey looked over at his sister.

"_I know you don't care, Harvey, but I'm not okay. Can't you see I'm not okay?" Her body was shaking as she sobbed into his sweater. _

"_Shhh, it's okay. I'm here. I've got you."_

_The two stayed in that position for a few moments, Emilie doing her best to gain control of her breathing as she cried. _

"_Harvey," she said quietly as she pulled away, "I'm scared."_

_It was that sentence - those two words - that weighed the heaviest on Harvey's heart. Suddenly his sarcastic, pain in the ass 23-year-old sister was very honest and vulnerable. His mind flashed through memories of Emilie. Admittedly they were mostly glossy and reimagined, or angry and frustrated. _

"_Emmy, you've gotta let me help you. You can talk to me, you know?"_

"_I don't think I can. It's never been that easy for us." She pressed her hands into her crying eyes. "All we do is fight. Why? I mean, I know why. I guess it doesn't matter."_

_Harvey didn't know what to say. He always thought that his sister was too much like him in some parts of her personality. That's why they were always butting heads. He didn't like to dig down any deeper than that. That's what usually lead to their big, destructive fights. _

_Emilie looked away from her brother, reaching out to grab the glass of water from the island. She took a big gulp. Harvey's silence was obvious. _

_She rolled her eyes, returning to rest her arms and head on the counter, "I find your lack of response disturbing."_

"_Did you just try to quote Star Wars to me?"_

Emilie looked back at him.

"Thank you," she said, "for caring about me."

"Of course I care about you, Emilie. You've painted me as some emotionless Batman villain for some reason."

"Oh my god, Mr. Freeze, let me finish." She paused. "I know these past few weeks really disrupted your life and this is not the ideal way to spend your free time, but I'm grateful for your help. And for the bed and place to stay. I've been feeling pretty lost and alone these past months and it's nice to be around family."

Harvey nodded, "I have to admit it hasn't been terrible having you around."

"Well, thanks."

"Em, I have a lot of regrets about how we - how I handled things back in February. If I had just helped you out then you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Sure, that might be true but we can't go back in time and do things any differently. I acted like a huge brat and you had every right to deny giving me any assistance." Emilie sighed. "This sucks. Truly. But hopefully my piece of shit landlord will go to jail and we can make sure no one else ends up in this situation because of him."

"How very Mike Ross of you." Harvey sighed. "It's the only silver lining I can see for this right now. You've got a good head on your shoulders, Em."

Emilie let out a breath and smiled. "Okay, I'm starving. Can we get breakfast now that all the emotional stuff is out of the way?"

Harvey stood up and extended his hand to help her up, too. "Sure. But tonight we're staying in. I'll cook."

"You're going to cook? Really?" She pulled down her sunglasses to meet his eyes. "Tonight, hell freezes over!"

Harvey couldn't stop himself from laughing. He threw his arm over her shoulder as they headed towards his favourite diner. "Wow, if that was your Arnold as Mr. Freeze impression you've got a lot of work to do."

* * *

Emilie was sitting in a small conference room at the District Attorney's office. She was meeting with the prosecutor on the case, Greg Wright, Finn and Harvey.

She was having a hard time wrapping her head around everything. She also knew her brother was having a hard time not being in control of the situation.

"Listen, Mr. Specter, I want to remind you that you are not obligated to be here and if I wanted your advice, I would ask." Gregory Wright had only a few years of experience under his belt at the DA's office. And of course he knew about the infamous Harvey Specter.

He continued, "Victims don't require lawyers in situations like this, Emilie."

"Don't condescend to her!"

"Harvey, stop. Let him do his job." Emilie turned to Greg. "I want Harvey to be here. Now please, can you all just get on the same page here and tell me what happens next? Why would he reject a plea deal?"

Harvey just sighed and bit his lip.

Greg sighed. "His lawyer thinks drawing this out slowly will get us to loosen up. The plea reduced his sentence to six months in jail. They want us to counter with community service."

"The big issue here is that he doesn't want to be registered as a sex offender," Finn piped in, turning to Emilie. "If a judge finds him not guilty because of lack of evidence, he'll just walk away Scott free."

"But wasn't the camera evidence enough? I don't understand."

"He's claiming ignorance. Well, feigned ignorance. He said they didn't record anything and his lawyer is counting on that loophole," Harvey answered, "And honestly, his lawyer is good." He threw a glance over to Greg who was scribbling in his notebook. He wished he could say the same about his sister's lawyer.

Emilie just sighed. "Can I go back to the apartment and get more of my things?"

Greg nodded, "He's not allowed within 100 feet of the building for 14 more days. So I would go collect everything you want before then."

"You're not going there alone," Harvey continued, glancing over to Finn. "Can you take her?"

Finn just nodded and turned to Emilie, "I have some time now if you want."

She just nodded, suddenly nervous about spending time with Finn directly. There was something about him - maybe it was his perfect, chiseled jaw line - that made Emilie feel a bit intimidated.

Harvey went back to work with Ray and Emilie climbed into the passenger side of Finn's car. It wasn't a police cruiser. Maybe he was off the clock.

She sat quietly for a few moments while Finn fiddled with a few things in the car. She couldn't help but laugh when he started the car and the _Hamilton _cast recording started to play.

"Wow, you didn't strike me as a Broadway fan," she commented as he started to drive.

"I'm not. But I am a _Hamilton_ fan. My cousins grew up down the street from the Miranda's in Washington heights."

Emilie just smiled at him, "Hey, I'm not judging. I'm just picturing you singing all the King George parts as you do a stakeout or something."

Finn just laughed along with her.

"So, how long have you known my brother?"

Finn drummed his hand on the wheel as he thought, "Two and a half years, I guess. He used to work with my uncle at the DA's office actually so we've worked together a few times." He paused and turned his head towards Emilie at a red light. "He helped me with a civil suit last year. A custody thing. So I owe him some favours."

"Custody?" Emilie was surprised to hear he had kids. He looked only a few years older than her.

She saw his cheeks flush.

"Sorry, you don't have to tell me about it."

She saw him smile again, "No, it's just kind of silly. Custody is a bit of a stretch. My ex was keeping my dog hostage so I needed to take legal action."

Emilie couldn't help but laugh again, "Really? That must be some dog." This was turning into a very cute story. Of course this handsome detective also had a soft spot for animals.

"His name is Pippin. He's a golden retriever. And well, he's my best friend. Long story short, Harvey helped me draft some documents free of charge and I've always been grateful."

The more Emilie learned about her brother, the more surprised she was.

"Pippin sounds adorable. You must have an album full of photos on your phone so I want to see a picture when we stop."

"Actually.." Finn pointed up at the visor above Emilie, indicating her to pull it down. When she flipped it over, there was a picture of a happy golden retriever pinned to the fabric. Emilie couldn't help but 'awwww' out loud as she looked at the picture.

"Wait, Pippin," she squinted to look closely at the photo, "Is that Elvish on his collar? Like Pippin, from Lord of the Rings?" She saw Finn's cheeks blush again. "Didn't take you for a Tolkien nerd." She couldn't help but finally relax as they talked, realizing they had more in common than she first thought.

The nerves that had melted away during their car ride returned then they got to Emilie's apartment. When Finn stopped the car, she just stared out the window at the townhouse.

"You alright?" He asked quietly.

She just nodded, reaching to unclick her seatbelt. "This place just makes my stomach turn now." She opened the door and headed out.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, she paused again.

"I'm right here with you, Emilie," Finn said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She relaxed at his touch and turned the keys to go in. Her apartment looked the same, save from some footprints on the ground and a few notes left stuck to the walls from the investigation.

Emilie packed up another bag with some clothes and refilled an empty cardboard box with some books and stuff from her bathroom cupboard. It wasn't hard to pack up her life now. She glanced around at what remained - her mattress, some dishes, another box of her things and all her painting supplies.

"I don't have room for that stuff today," Finn pointed to a stack of different sized canvases. "But if you want to come back tomorrow night I can borrow my brother's truck."

"You don't have to do that," Emilie replied, smiling at him. "I'm sure Harvey and Ray can figure out how to move them all."

"Well, just let me know, it's really no trouble."

"Thanks, Finn. I appreciate Harvey cashing in one of his favours for me."

Finn opened his mouth to say something else when they heard a door slam in the driveway outside. Emilie froze for a moment, her heart rate increasing. She took a step towards the front of her apartment, peering out the small front window.

"Is that your landlords vehicle?" Finn asked her quietly. She shook her head.

"Just wait here a second." Finn swept past her and opened the door and headed up the stairs. Emilie didn't move as she listened to what was going on above. She heard a muffled voice she didn't recognize, then heard Finn's voice. They spoke for a few moments then Finn's voice grew a bit louder. She heard footsteps again and another slamming door, before the vehicle sped off.

Finn hurried back down the stairs, reopening the door to see Emilie standing where he left her, eyes wide.

"Just a contractor, apparently. Said it was his brother's place and he's the one renovating. I'm not sure if he's allowed on the property but I asked him to leave. You haven't come back here alone, have you?"

She shook her head.

"Okay, well, I can't tell you not to but I'm sure Harvey will. I don't think it would be safe for you to come back here again by yourself. Ever."

She just swallowed hard.

"Sorry, Emilie, I'm not trying to worry you but I wouldn't trust anyone your landlord knows. They may try to get some information out of you."

"I get it," she responded, nodding again. She took a deep breath and let it out, before glancing around her apartment again. If she had it her way, she would never come back to this place again.

"Do you wanna go grab a coffee or something?"

* * *

Thursday was not going well for Emilie.

She was riding off a positive high from her coffee 'date' with Finn the night before but even that couldn't fix her Thursday.

Ethan was avoiding her.

She had bombed an early morning quiz in her elective.

And to top it all off, she tripped heading up the stairs as she was leaving the library and slammed her wrist into the concrete stairs. The pain was unimaginable. She had also managed to crack her phone screen to a point where it was not going to work.

As she got onto the subway after she left school, she contemplated what to do. If she called her mom, without a doubt she would tell her to go to the hospital to check out her wrist. She was in a lot of pain but she wasn't sure how much of it would be covered by her health insurance from school.

She got off the subway near Pearson Specter Litt and headed inside, smiling at Charles the security guard and headed upstairs. If she was going to go to urgent care, she knew she should let Harvey know if she couldn't use her phone to message him.

Donna greeted her when she approached Harvey's empty office.

"Hey Emilie," Donna said, eyes not leaving her computer as she typed. "Harvey's in court this afternoon."

"Oh," Emilie replied, pausing to think about what to do next. "I guess I'll just leave a message for him. I smashed my phone." She pulled it out of her pocket to show Donna. "And my wrist."

Donna stood up in her chair and glanced over at Emilie, who was trying to raise up her wrist. It was very swollen and very purple.

"Oh my god, you need to see a doctor." Donna hurried around the desk and grabbed her wrist. "Does this hurt?" She brushed her hand against the joint. Emilie gasped out loud.

"Just a bit," she replied, swallowing hard. "If you can just let Harvey know I'm going to urgent care and that-

"You're not going to the hospital alone." Donna's comment came out like more of a certain statement.

Emilie just shrugged, "I mean, that was my plan but-

Within moments Donna was pulling on her coat and had her phone up to her ear, motioning for Emilie to walk ahead of her towards the elevators.

"Hey Harvey, it's Donna. We both know you're never going to check this voicemail but I'm taking your sister to the hospital. Wow, if you do check this you're really going to panic. Oh well. Call me!"

* * *

To Harvey, there was nothing like the feeling that followed a successful court win. Especially when it meant crushing a smug competitor _and _getting the number of a cute brunette.

"Thank you, Harvey." He shook hands with his client, the chief operating officer for a large e-commerce company. "You've done it again."

"Well, you know how I feel about bullies, Harold."

"We'll be at _Romo _tonight if you want to join us!"

Harvey smiled as his client walked away. He was hoping to join the brunette tonight instead but the offer was appreciated. He sat back down at the table for a moment as he gathered his things and went over a few of his missed emails.

Mike slid into the seat beside him, after returning to the courtroom.

"You wiped the floor with that guy," he said to Harvey, excitement waving through him, "Are we celebrating?"

Harvey couldn't help but smirk at his enthusiasm. It was nice to see passion in Mike. Although he was young and had a lot of energy left in this sector of work.

"It's barely five, the workday is not over for you, pal," Harvey patted him on the shoulder. "I'm going to celebrate without you."

He looked at his phone again and noticed he had a voicemail from Donna. He dropped his eyebrows for a moment, briefly confused. Donna didn't leave voicemails.

He put his phone up to his ear to listen to her voicemail. He felt his heart start to race as he listened.

_Damnit. _

He called her back right away.

"Harvey, hi."

"Donna, you can't leave me a message like that with no follow up. What's going on?"

"Well, I've been preoccupied. I had to drag your sister to Mount Sinai's emergency room because her wrist is definitely broken."

Harvey sighed, sitting back down in his chair. Okay. A broken wrist was not great but at least she was okay.

"One of you could have texted me that information."

"I like picturing your panicking face!"

"Donna."

"Emilie also smashed her phone. I didn't want her to sit here alone."

Harvey suddenly heard his sister in the background, letting out a whimper of pain.

"Ma'am, if you don't sit still we can't get the x-ray completed."

"Well, that pressure you're applying fucking hurts!" Harvey couldn't help but laugh when he heard her reaction.

"Harvey," Donna's voice came back to the phone. "I've gotta go before she attacks this poor technician."

"Thanks for going with her, Donna."

Harvey was grateful for Donna's loyalty. And her heart. He wasn't sure if he would think twice about spending his evening at the ER with his sister. She was perfectly capable of talking to a doctor on her own. But he could understand the situation and knew he should go sit and wait with her instead of Donna.

The brunette would have to wait.

Harvey turned to Mike. "Can you do me a favour?"

An hour later, Harvey was getting out of his car at Mount Sinai with a tray of drinks and Mike. They made their way into the emergency room, navigating their way through curtained rooms until they found Donna and Emilie. They were in a small room, Emilie was laying down on the bed clutching her arm as Donna sat in the chair beside her, flipping through a magazine.

"My saviour," Donna reached her arms out to the tray of drinks Harvey was holding.

Emilie looked up as they walked in. It was comforting to see her brother but she felt terrible for inconveniencing all these people. Especially Donna. Even though she had been enjoying her company.

Although most of her guilt seemed to be floating away because of the painkillers.

"They gave your sister a small dose of a heavy painkiller when they reset her wrist," Donna said quietly as she stood to talk to Harvey.

They watched as Mike sat down on the bed beside her, pulling a new phone out of the small bag he was carrying from the Apple store. Harvey had sent him to go pick up a new phone for Emilie before they came to meet them.

"Where's your broken phone?"

Emilie sat up on the bed slowly, squinting her eyes to look at Mike. She saw the phone box in his hand and shook her head. "Mike, you shouldn't have."

"I paid for that, consider it an early birthday gift or something. Try not to break this one." Harvey replied to her.

"I'm just here to be the tech guy since old man Specter doesn't know what a SIM card is."

Emilie just giggled at his comment, pulling her shattered phone out of her back pocket. She handed it over to Mike as he fiddled with the phones.

"What did the doctor say?"

"First of all, he was very rude." Emilie started to answer but Donna jumped in.

"He wasn't rude. He was just not especially friendly. She broke her wrist in two spots. He'll be back to put a cast on shortly."

"When I asked him what colour cast options there was he told me Racecar Red was only for children, not clumsy adults."

Mike couldn't help but laugh at her responses. "Here." He handed her over the new phone as it buzzed with incoming messages. "Lots of missed texts from Jon Finnegan."

Emilie's eyes opened wide at his comment, glancing from him to Harvey quickly. "Mike did a shot with me at the bar last week!"

"Wow, tattletale." Mike smirked at her, standing up. Harvey just rolled his eyes at them both, then thanked Mike again as he left.

"The Doctor also mentioned if this doesn't heal with the cast, they made need to do a minor surgical procedure to fix it." Donna said quietly to Harvey.

"You are whispering very loudly. I can hear everything you're saying."

"I wasn't whispering at all, cupcake. Someone," Donna pointed directly at Emilie, "freaked out at the word surgery earlier."

Harvey just sighed, walking over and sitting on the bed beside his sister. She looked exhausted, he couldn't only assume the pain medication was going to knock her out into a deep sleep by the time they got home.

"Wrist surgery usually isn't fatal, Em," he said to her, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Harvey," she reached her hand up on her good arm, and gently grabbed his face, "I'm very broke. I'm gonna max out my Visa to cover the co-pay tonight."

Harvey paused while he thought about his response. Of course he was just going to cover whatever bill his sister was faced with in this minor medical emergency. He wouldn't think twice about it. He looked over at Donna who gave him a sympathetic glance. She just nodded then excused herself from the room for a moment.

"I'm going to go find a nurse and see how long we'll be waiting."

"How do you two do that? Talk without words? It's unbelievable." Emilie moved her hand away from her brother's face and fell back on the bed.

"I know what I'm about to say is going to piss you off but please just listen. I will cover your medical bills today and in the future if you need surgery. This is not an _alpha move_ or whatever you called it before. I just want to help. And if you're really bothered by it you can pay me back. Okay?"

Emilie let out a breath and opened her mouth to argue. Then she stopped herself. She didn't have much choice. Her current bank account spoke for itself.

"Okay." She closed her eyes tightly as she laid back in the bed. "Thanks, Harvey."

Harvey knew it was hard for her to accept his help, or any help at all. He felt he had a lot of lost time to make up for in their relationship.

"Oh, how do you feel about driving up to Boston with me for Marcus' party next weekend? Katie said you bought a train ticket already -

"I definitely didn't buy a ticket already," Emilie admitted, shrugging. She meant to but groceries had been taking a priority for her in the summer. "I'll take care of snacks. You're responsible for music."

An hour later, Harvey and Emilie were on their way back to his place. She had a fresh black cast on her left wrist and a sling. Ray had dropped Donna off first and Emilie had promptly fallen asleep on the drive home.

Harvey glanced over at her as they stopped at his building. This moment was quiet. Things felt okay. He knew this sense of calm wouldn't last very long with them - especially with this landlord camera mess.

But he decided in that quiet moment that if rebuilding his relationship with his sister was going to be a long term battle, then these small things had to be considered wins.

* * *

_Notes: I think maybe Mike and Emilie could be good friends - like an annoying brother and sister pair. I can see their rapport really getting on Harvey's nerves at times. And I'm trying to incorporate some more Donna! Admittedly I haven't seen the finale yet but I saw some very real exciting spoilers online so I can't wait. _

_And to brag, I was in Toronto last weekend (hi from Canada!) and I got to visit the shooting location for the office and it felt silly but it was very cool. I did see some handsome well dressed businessmen. _

_Thank you to everyone who has followed along so far! I'm grateful for every review, visit, view! Big thanks to cicia724, Andelin and Guest for the reviews. I'm also so happy to see people as excited about things as I am. _

_Up next: some help from the cute detective and a visit home to Boston. _


	6. Free Advice

Because of her broken wrist, Emilie was reduced to front till duty at the cafe. She had called in sick on Friday, even though she hated to disappoint Jackie. But the pain radiating in her wrist was too much to handle. By Sunday, she knew she could at least take orders and pack up pastries.

Having only one functioning hand was proving to be annoying. She managed to pull her dark blonde hair into a messy bun that morning but something as easy as tying her apron at work was challenging.

"I can't watch you struggle anymore," Ethan jumped in from across the back room, stopping in front of her to do up the strings.

"Well, thanks," Emilie replied to him, sighing. It was early Sunday morning and just the two of them, and their coworker Lora, opening up the cafe. Jackie was usually there instead but Ethan was covering for her.

"So, Em, If you wanted to hang out after work-

"Oh Emilie, I wanted to tell you," Lora cut Ethan off as she swung the door to the back room open. "Some guy was here looking for you yesterday. I told him you usually don't work Saturdays but you're almost always here Sundays and Tuesdays."

Emilie turned her head, curious about who that could have been. "What did he look like?"

"I don't know, black and grey hair, some beard, baseball cap, sunglasses. Come to think of it, I could hardly see his face."

Emilie blinked a few times and did her best to bite her tongue. Lora was pretty young and usually only worked weekend shifts. She couldn't fault her for that ignorance but she had to realize giving out Emilie's work schedules to strangers was not a good idea.

Emilie didn't want to jump to conclusions but that man's description was vague and concerning. Her first thought was it could have been her landlord but she knew she was just being paranoid. How would he even know where she worked?

She let out an annoyed sigh, "Lora, in the future, please don't tell anyone my schedule."

Lora just shrugged in reply, rolling her eyes and returning to the front of the cafe.

Emilie squeezed her eyes shut for a moment then shook her head. She reminded herself not to panic. Sure, people didn't usually visit her at work. Well, except sometimes Leah. And Donna, who they had determined had bought over 20 chai lattes in the last few months so she could spy for Harvey. But that was it.

"You okay?" Ethan put his hand on her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm just trying to remember what it was like to be an absent minded teenager like Lora."

"So, as I was saying before," Ethan paused to look around, then lowered his voice, "if you want to hang out after work, we've gotta use your place this time. Chris' brother is in town or something so they're hanging at the apartment."

Emilie thought for a moment before answering. In all honesty, she hadn't been thinking much about Ethan the last few days. Sure, she was grateful for his eager attitude to get her in bed again but she had other things on her mind. Mainly Finn.

"I'm still not back at my apartment yet so I guess we'll call this a draw," she smirked at him, shrugging. Truthfully, she was grateful to never have to invite Ethan back to her old apartment ever again. She considered briefly the logistics of inviting someone to Harvey's. That idea was quickly dismissed when she pictured her brother walking in on her and freaking out.

Her shift crawled by slowly. She managed to get into a good rhythm writing on cups and boxing up desserts for customers. The only thing helping pass the time was Ethan's music choice for the day - The Beatles.

As her shift was coming to an end around two, Harvey walked through the doors. Emilie couldn't help but smile although it was still strange to see him visiting the cafe. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago she could hardly keep a civil conversation with him. At least now they both had their emotions mainly in check.

"How was your run, old man?"

Harvey rolled his eyes as he got to the till. "How come you can call me old man but I can't call you kid?"

"Old man is funny. Kid sounds like you're speaking down to me."

Harvey bobbed his head around then nodded, "Fair. This old man ran an 8 minute mile so you should be falling me younger, fit man instead."

She just let out a breath and shook her head, "Cappuccino?" He nodded again. "I'm off in fifteen."

"Sounds good, I'll wait."

As Emilie's shift ended, she headed into the back and untied her apron. Ethan was taking some baking out of the oven and smiled over at her. "Chris said he's out taking his brother to the Empire State Building so my place is suddenly available."

Emilie returned his smile but shook her head, "Yeah, my brother is out there waiting for me so I can't just send him away for your afternoon delight." Truthfully, she had some schoolwork she had to do and her wrist was killing her. She just wasn't in the mood to fool around anyway.

"Just tell him you have to work late!"

"Ethan," she shook her head as she responded. Before he could continue protesting, Lora poked her head in the back room again.

"Emilie, that guy is back."

She just sighed as she looked away from Ethan, then headed back into the cafe. Lora pointed him out as she walked up, indicating to the man standing near the pick up counter, hands tucked into the pockets of his dark jacket.

She approached him slowly and before she realized who was standing there, it was too late. Her landlord Jason Moore. She hadn't seen him in weeks, since well before this mess started. Luckily she didn't have to be in court or at the DA's office at the same time as him so far. But here he was, standing in front of her. Waiting for her. At her place of work. She never told him where she worked.

He had a hat and sunglasses on, which considering the fall weather was not out of character but she felt most uncomfortable not being able to see his eyes. His entire presence made her feel violated and gross all over again.

As she took a step closer, her eyes scanned around the room until she found Harvey, who was sipping his drink and staring at his phone. She opened her eyes wide and stared over at him, hoping her intensity would stir his interest. If he ever looked up from his goddamn phone.

The man standing at the counter was her landlord. She knew she shouldn't talk to him but at this point, she was more concerned about him making a scene or of her coworkers asking questions if she suddenly hurried away.

"Emilie, hi," he said quietly as she approached. She tried to cross her arms over her chest but it wasn't easy with the left wrist in a cast.

"You're not supposed to be taking to me."

He scoffed, "I can talk to whomever I please. I just wanted to see if you'd be willing to discuss this mess outside of court and drop the whole thing."

She blinked a few times and looked over at her brother again. This time she caught his eyes and did her best to communicate her discomfort. Harvey stood up from his seat when he saw the panic on her face and glanced from her to the guy standing in front of her.

She just shook her head at Jason. "You're not supposed to be talking to me."

He let out a breath and moved his hands out of his pocket, placing them on the counter and leaning forward, "Listen, I just want to clear the air." She took a step back as he leaned in.

If there was one thing that Harvey had become an expert in during his years in law, it was body language. Some people used it as an intimidation tool for their advantage - hell, Harvey himself was known to puff out his chest and hover over testifying defendants. This was all the more reason to quickly determine the person talking to his sister was not someone she wanted to talk to anymore.

He took a few short strides over to where they were standing and placed his hand on the man's shoulder, alerting him of his presence and causing him to stand up. "So sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could heat up my drink before I left."

"Sure, of course, sir," Emilie grabbed his near empty cup and walked away from the counter.

Harvey left his hand on the man's shoulder for a few more moments before he shrugged him off and walked away. Harvey stayed standing where he was, watching his sister pour him a cup of coffee, as she glanced over her shoulder.

Seeing his sister visibly bothered by this guy irritated the _shit_ out of Harvey. He pursed his lips together, teeth clenched as he turned to see the guy standing at the doorway watching her. If he stood there one minute longer, Harvey knew his feet would meet him at the door and his hands may form fists.

When he saw Harvey's stare, he finally turned and walked out the door.

Emilie turned to Harvey and motioned for him to come meet her in the back.

Harvey walked through the Staff Only door down the hall and found his sister sitting on a stool in the back room, sipping from her water bottle.

"Here," she handed him the cup of coffee she had poured.

He nodded in response as he took it from her.

"Sorry I didn't have the chance to introduce you to _my landlord,_" she hissed out, letting out an irritated sigh.

"That's who that was? Damnit." Harvey was really regretting not confronting him now.

"I think he tried to come visit me here yesterday." She stopped to look around the room. "My pea-brained coworker told a complete stranger my work schedule so that's great."

Harvey gave her a look that said _you're kidding me. _He started to pace around the room, pausing at a tray of oatmeal raisin cookies. He gave her a small glance and she nodded, watching him take one from the tray.

"So," he continued, swallowing his bite of the cookie, "what are you going to do if he comes back?"

Emilie felt like this question was to test her. Leave it to Harvey to get right to the hypotheticals instead of asking if she was okay.

She sighed. "Well, first and foremost, is he even allowed to be talking to me?"

"No but he has free will. I'm sure his lawyer told him not to and clearly that didn't stop him."

"Then what makes you think he'll come back?"

"He might not but if he does-

"If he does I'll throw a hot cup of coffee at him." Emilie gave her brother a smug smile but he didn't react.

"Maybe you should take a break from the cafe until this thing is over," he suggested.

"I hope that's a joke because I'm not treating that as a logical solution." She stood up from her stool and started to gather her things.

Before Harvey could continue, Ethan swung through the door from the cafe with a tray. "Em, since your brother left, how does a hot shower with me sound?" He turned around as he entered to see Emilie standing with Harvey. "Oh shit."

Emilie just sighed, her face flushed red, "Ethan, this is my brother Harvey. Harvey this is…"

Ethan put his tray down and wiped off his floured hands, extending his hand out to Harvey, "Ethan. Ethan Jones."

Harvey just looked at him, taking the opportunity to pop the rest of the cookie into his mouth.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you, please just ignore that shower comment and..." Ethan continued.

Emilie nudged her brother, motioning to Ethan's outstretched hand.

Harvey sighed, then shook his hand, holding it still for a moment to pause. "Ethan, here's some free advice: always read the room before you open your mouth."

* * *

"Harvey, you have to stop telling me what to do."

Emilie did not wake up Tuesday morning anticipating fighting with her brother.

"Listen, I don't want to hear your _I'm an adult _speech again."

"The cafe is my only source of income!"

"And I already told you I can cover whatever wages you'll miss for a few weeks."

Emilie just let out a frustrated yell and rolled her eyes as she headed back into her room. Her lecture started at 8:30 and she did not want to be late. Harvey was insisting she take a break from her job until the situation with her landlord was covered. After realizing the guy had figured out information about her, Harvey was worried. He did not want to admit that to his sister. But he wanted to help alleviate the concern.

"I don't want to hear your _I'm a rich lawyer, let me help you _speech again!"

"Emilie," Harvey followed her towards her room. He continued to button up his shirt and cuffs as he talked to her. _Argued with her. _"If that conversation with his lawyer last night was any indication, they clearly don't care that he tried to contact you and he's going to try again. He wants to intimidate you."

"Oh, were you listening last night? Because to me it sounded like you were just there to yell at Greg."

"Greg is doing his job poorly."

"Harvey."

"What kind of lawyer doesn't make it clear that talking to you in person is off limits? Good lord. What an amateur mistake. _The defendant must not message with his former tenant. _That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I'm going to sue _him_ when this is all over."

She swept past him, grabbing a banana off the counter as she headed towards the door. "I'm going to class. Then I'm going to work."

"Emilie, please."

She stopped and turned to him before she left. She wanted to scream at him but she knew it wasn't worth it. She decided to try something else - speak his language.

"Can I just present my case?" She narrowed her eyes and looked towards him across the room. "Harvey, my job at the cafe is not just about money. Do you get that? It's like my second home. Or well, these days it's really just the only home I have in the city. It gives me some extra purpose, some camaraderie. It's familiar. It's not fair that my dumbass landlord gets to take that away from me, too. These past six months have been awful but I always had Stomping Grounds. So please, just let this go."

Harvey swallowed hard as he listened to her defense. He let out a long breath and repositioned his tie.

"Okay. Just be careful."

Emilie gave him a small, grateful smile. She was impressed that he finally let her win an argument.

She watched as he tilted his head and smiled playfully, "Say hi to Ethan for me!"

Emilie finished up her shift at the cafe around five. Her landlord did not make a reappearance, thankfully. She was in a good mood by the time she took off her apron - mainly due to a visit from Finn earlier in the afternoon. In uniform, no less.

She had a crush on Jon Finnegan and she wasn't sure what to do about it. Seeing him in his NYPD blues caused her to stumble over her words and nearly knock over his drink as she chatted with him.

When she walked through the cafe after her shift, she was surprised to see him there _again. _This time dressed in normal street clothes. He was just wearing dark jeans, a plain white T-shirt and a flannel shirt under a brown leather jacket but the sight of him made Emilie blush.

His reappearance was exciting until she checked her phone, seeing a message from Harvey that he asked Finn to walk her home. She sighed, wondering just when she lost her independence.

"Hey," Finn smiled as she approached.

"I don't need a babysitter or chaperone," she started, trying to cross her arms, although the cast really made the whole thing kind of awkward.

"Believe it or not, I was going to try and catch you at the end of your shift anyway."

She glanced down at her phone, "Did Harvey also ask you to drop by this afternoon?"

Finn gave her an apologetic half smile, "Yes but-

She cut him off, rolling her eyes, "I'm capable of walking myself home."

"Emilie," he continued as he followed her out the door, "Like I said, I was going to come by here anyway. I have my brother's truck if you wanted to go grab the rest of your stuff."

"Another Harvey request?"

"No. Honestly. This is by my own accord." Finn raised his hands up, as if admitting defeat. She thought for a moment then smiled. Maybe he did want to spend time with her.

She raised her cast up and met his eyes. It didn't have to mean anything, but his kindness was making her feel _something_ in her chest.

"Okay. I'll concede. But you have to do all the heavy lifting since I'm broken."

A little while later, Emilie and Finn were getting off the elevator into the basement at Harvey's building. He had a storage room down there but told Emilie he hadn't been in it in years and wasn't sure what was in there. She just wanted to store her canvases somewhere that didn't clutter up Harvey's space.

The brother and sister pair hadn't talked about their current living situation. Emilie didn't want to overstay her welcome but also wasn't sure where else to go for the time being. Leah had mentioned her roommate was moving out in January so she may be able to take over that room. Regardless of that plan, Emilie had to put her stuff _somewhere. _

"Okay so Harvey thinks it's unit 21 and," she paused outside the door and looked back at her phone, "completely guessed on what the lock code is."

"Well," Finn put down the pile of paintings tucked under his arm and grabbed the small box from under Emilie's casted arm. "Let's hope it works."

She tucked her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and tried the lock, which opened on the first go. She turned and smiled at Finn, pushing up the door and motioning to turn on the light. Harvey's storage room was full of boxes and a few bins, plus a tall wardrobe and a set of golf clubs. They tucked her stuff into a space in the front corner, hearing the door shut behind them.

The moment the door closed, the light in the room went off, too.

"I feel like basement storage rooms are not the ideal place for energy efficient timers on lights," Emilie said quietly. She could hear Finn laugh at her commentary, then she felt his hand grab hers in the darkness. He squeezed it gently as he lead them back to the door.

It was only when they were finally back at the elevator's that Emilie pulled her hand away from his, quickly. She didn't even realize he had still been holding it and guiding her through the hallway. But he hadn't let go either...

"Thanks for your help," Emilie turned to Finn as they waited. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket and flashed her a smile.

She almost fell over at the sight.

"It's no problem, really," he replied.

He continued as they got into the elevator, "So, I like to take Pip to this dog park in Williamsburg - we'll probably go this Saturday, if you would be interested in maybe coming along."

Emilie couldn't stop her face from lighting up at his question. "I'd love that. But.." She stopped. "Shit. Harvey and I are going home this weekend. Like to Boston. Damn. I would love to hang out with you and, I mean, finally meet Pippin."

"Maybe next week?" He countered, although Emilie could tell he was a bit deflated.

"Are you doing anything right now? There is a ton of reality TV on Harvey's PVR. And he won't be home for a few hours so.."

Emilie couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. Was she really inviting Finn upstairs? To Harvey's beautiful, empty condo with soft lighting and a warm fireplace?

Thirty minutes later, Emilie _also_ couldn't believe her mouth was on Detective Jon Finnegan's.

"Full disclosure," she pulled away from his lips, as she sat straddled on his waist on the couch. "I'm off my game. This wrist cast is really screwing up my best moves. Like, twice the hair pulling would be happening."

Finn couldn't help but laugh at her bold honesty, "Good to know. I think you're doing fine." He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer. She moaned quietly as he found a very specific, sensitive spot on her neck.

Finn was an unlikely silver lining to this whole situation. And whatever he was doing with his mouth was a whole other added bonus, too.

"Oh, and you cannot be here when Harvey gets home." He pulled her back in, nibbling on her ear lobe.

"Also, we are _not _having sex! Well, at least not tonight especially considering -

"Emilie," Finn was the one to pause this time. He brought his hand up and cradled her cheek, giving her a comforting smile. "Just kiss me."

* * *

Emilie took Friday off from the cafe. She opted to sleep in and pack up her things, then meet Harvey at the office around noon to leave from there. Earlier in the week he said he wanted to leave around 11 but he was already pushing it back.

The drive home to Boston was only about four hours but they didn't really have to be in town until 7:30 or so, just before Katie was planning the big surprise moment for Marcus.

She stopped by the cafe anyway and grabbed drinks for herself, her brother, Donna and Mike.

"It's like you knew exactly what I needed," Donna expressed her gratitude to Emilie as she handed over the latte. "Harvey pulled the plug on Friday coffees since I don't have to keep an eye on your from afar anymore."

"Wow, that's terrible. I'll vouch for it to be reinstated. All I have to do is entice him with baked goods on Friday or something." Donna nodded with her in agreement as she sipped her latte.

"They're in a conference call," Donna pointed her head into Harvey's office where Harvey and Jessica were sitting.

Emilie just nodded, grabbing the iced coffee for Mike and walking through the office to find him. She finally noticed him standing in another big office down the hall. She read the printed name on the glass and figured out he was talking with someone named Louis Litt. _The infamous Louis. _

She just lingered there for a moment, hoping to catch him when he left. Just as she changed her mind, deciding to wait with Donna instead, Mike saw her and called her name.

"Emilie, hey," Mike motioned for her to come into the office.

She did just that, walking slowly and smiling over at Louis at his desk. She handed the iced coffee to Mike who smiled gratefully.

"Have you met Louis?" Mike motioned his head towards the desk.

"I haven't." Emilie replied, opening her eyes wide to Mike. He gave her a mischievous smile in return.

"Hi Louis, I'm Emilie," she waved towards Louis, who was giving her a strange glance. Before she could continue, he interrupted her.

"We have a strict dress code here. I'm not sure who you are Emilie but it's incredibly disrespectful to disgrace our halls like that."

She couldn't help but laugh. "You can't be serious." She glanced down at her legs, which were adorned with dark, distressed denim.

"Ripped jeans are for male models and broke college students and hippies," Louis continued. "You should really give your interns a heads up before you interview them, Mike."

"What? I'm not an intern."

"Like Harvey would let me have an intern," Mike laughed. "Emilie is Harvey's sister."

"Half-sister."

"What?" Louis stood up at his desk. "I've known Harvey for years and he's never mentioned a sister."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. We share a mother, he and I."

Louis continued without even listening to her. "I mean, considering his overbearing ego and relentless arrogance and perfect hair, I guess you wouldn't be lying about being related to him."

Emilie gave Mike a confused glance as she listened to Louis ramble. They both watched as Louis stared at her, clearly thinking hard in his mind about his past conversations with Harvey and his secretive personal life. He mumbled something about his own sister, as he sat back down in his chair.

Luckily, Louis was interrupted by his phone ringing. Mike motioned for Emilie to follow him as they turned to leave his office.

"Does he always spiral like that?" Emilie asked Mike, glancing back over her shoulder as they walked away.

Mike just chuckled, taking another sip of his coffee, "Yes. But he'll recover. How's the wrist?"

Emilie just sighed, rotating her cast around, "Heavy." She paused and stopped walking. "Can I ask you a legal question?"

"Sure," Mike shrugged. Emilie glanced around.

"Can we…?" She motioned to the empty conference room. Mike opened the door and followed her in.

"What's up?"

Emilie didn't know where to start. She had a crush on Jon Finnegan, and she was thinking he may have some sort of feelings for her too. If their cuddling and makeout session earlier that week had been indication enough. And their non stop texting communication. But she had a feeling it was crossing some sort of moral line.

"I have a... _friend_ who is going through a weird legal battle right now." Emilie started off slowly, pursing her lips together for a moment. She dropped into a chair at the end of the table and Mike sat across from her.

"Okay…" He motioned for her to continue. It was clear this was not about a friend.

"My..._friend_ has sort of been flirting with someone working on her case."

"A police officer on the case?" Mike asked her, sighing and putting his coffee down on the table.

Emilie nodded. "Yes, now, this _friend _might have kissed-

Mike's eyes went wide and he held a hand up, cutting her off. "I'm going to stop you there. Mainly because the less I know about what your _friend _is doing, the better. All I will say is that this has the potential to be a huge conflict of interest in your friend's case. So your _friend _should likely slow things down, or halt them entirely."

Emilie just sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, that's what I figured. I mean, that's what I assumed my friend should do."

"Also, if your friend's brother finds out about what she's doing, he will likely not react positively." Mike motioned his hands above his head, implying that his head would explode, then made a face like he was screaming with furrowed brows.

"Okay, let's forget this conversation ever happened." Emilie just nodded, standing up and heading out the door. "My friend thanks you for the free advice." The pair walked back towards Harvey's office. She looked in to see he was off the phone but still standing near his desk, chatting with Jessica. He motioned for her to come in.

"Jessica, this is Emilie," Harvey stood up to introduce her. "Emilie, Jessica Pearson."

Emilie extended her hand out to shake Jessica's, smiling. "Hi."

"Nice to meet you, Emilie. Harvey's told me so much about you." Emilie didn't believe that for a second, considering how no one in the office seemed to know she existed until recently. "How are things at NYU?"

Jessica seemed genuine in her question, at least.

"Oh, not bad. But I've only failed one quiz so far this semester, we'll see how it goes." Emilie heard Harvey sigh.

Jessica smiled at her, "Well, there's something to be said about your honesty. I hope you enjoy your weekend at home. Try to make sure your brother actually enjoys himself and ignores his emails." Emilie returned the smile as Jessica left the office.

"I'll be ready to go in about twenty minutes," Harvey said to his sister. Emilie flopped onto his couch, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she waited.

"What did you get Marcus for his birthday?" Emilie knew asking him questions was not going to make them leave any faster but she found a weird pleasure in distracting him from his work.

"Good question. Donna?" Emilie watched as Donna stood up from the desk, grabbing the remaining drink Emilie brought and handing it off to Harvey when she walked in. "What did I get Marcus for his birthday?"

Donna pointed to a small wrapped box sitting on the table in the corner, "Glenlivet 25 Year Single Malt. Bold and spicy notes." Harvey gave his sister a smug look.

Emilie turned her head to Donna, impressed, "Wow. Do you do all of Harvey's gift shopping?"

Donna gave her a coy half smile, "Why? Didn't you like your monogrammed Fossil tote with matching wallet you got for Christmas?"

"Oh, I did. Harvey has always had questionable taste so this explains a lot." Emilie replied, giving her a small smile. She remembered that beautiful bag and wallet. She had loved it. She had sold the set in her apartment crisis months ago, to a lucky classmate with the same initials as hers.

Harvey watched his sister's face fall as Donna left the room. Before he could comment, Emilie continued on.

"All I got Marcus was a vintage copy of _Moby Dick_ I found at the Brooklyn Flea. It's marked as a second edition but I don't believe it. I do need to stop at Target on our way to get a birthday card, though. Also, I know I told you that music was your responsibility, but I created an elaborate Road Trip playlist this morning so as co-pilot, I'll take care of in car ambiance. And I have acquired a variety of snacks ranging from salty to sweet."

Harvey was just trying to get one document finished for a case before they left but his sister's constant chatter was keeping him from looking back at his laptop. He finally glanced down and sighed, seeing an email come in from Jessica telling him to leave.

He just leaned back in his chair, shutting his laptop and taking a sip of his latte. "Tell me you grabbed Twizzlers."

Emilie gave him a smile as she reached into her backpack, revealing a bag of licorice. "A whole bag just for you, old man."

* * *

_A/N: okay we're not in Boston just yet but that's what's filling up the next chapter. but I thought it was nice to get a little bit of everyone in here this time. now, things are about to get complicated for this family and we're going to learn some more backstory for Emilie and why her and Harvey have had such a hard time coexisting. this story really stemmed from the idea of the big protective older brother Harvey but I think he's having a hard time dealing with his feelings. _

_Also something about the idea of Harvey going to Target with Emilie just brings me so much joy. _

_also. Finn! Finn. Finnnnnnn. Jon Finnegan. _

_Thank you to all who read last chapter. I appreciate each and every one of you. I'm definitely the type to creep on everyone who favourites or adds a story to an alert - I've actually found so many good stories to read this way! So thanks. and thank you to Andelin and cicia724 for your reviews! your thoughts and interest drive me along._


	7. Hurricane Emilie

"You know, too much caffeine is bad for your heart." Harvey was climbing back into the SUV in the Target parking lot.

Emilie had insisted they stop, mainly to stretch her legs halfway through their drive and to get another coffee.

She buckled her seatbelt, leaving her bag of impulse Target purchases in the backseat and sipping on her iced espresso.

"I just want you to know I showed restraint because I usually get six shots on ice, not four." She put her drink down and kicked her shoes off. "Also, I'm pretty sure drinking scotch and consistently working like 100 hours a week is bad for your heart, too."

Harvey just winced and shook his head, pulling away from the parking lot and back onto the interstate.

"I think you can do better than that Ethan guy, by the way."

Emilie nearly spit out her coffee. She turned her head to look over at Harvey directly. That was a bold statement. She didn't consider his opinion of her love life or sex life. In fact, it was easier to keep those things as far away as possible from her relationship with her family.

Before Emilie responded to him, she reached into her purse, then into her wallet, and pulled out a few coins. She dropped two pennies onto the middle console between herself and Harvey.

"These must belong to you because I didn't ask for your two cents."

Harvey burst out laughing, then rolled his eyes. "Have you been saving that line for this moment? That's funny. I'm going to use that."

Emilie pulled one of her legs up and crossed it under her other leg, leaning back on the door to face him. "You met Ethan for like two minutes last week."

"Yeah and that's plenty of time for me to form an opinion."

"Well, whatever - I'm never going to _date _Ethan, that's not what our relationship is about."

Harvey just let out a breath and shook his head, keeping his eyes forward on the road. He had never known his sister to really date anyone. She had a tumultuous time in high school but he never really recalled any boyfriends. It wasn't until their recent living situation transpired that it occurred to him she was a grown woman who, as it turned out, had a sex life.

He knew his sister well enough now to realize how guarded she was - it was safe to assume she didn't put herself out there emotionally.

"I've been the Ethan in this situation before," Harvey said to her, "and I know I hurt people. So maybe just be careful."

Emilie couldn't bring herself to quip at him. He was extending some sort of kindness she still wasn't used to.

"You're not about to follow this up with some sort of weird 'practice safe sex' speech, are you?"

Harvey glanced over towards her, giving her a very clear _You've gotta be kidding me _face. She just laughed then fiddled with the radio. Their drive had been pretty okay so far - neither of them would admit their nervousness over spending four hours together but they had survived the worst of it.

"So," Emilie took another sip of her coffee. "You don't get very personal at work, do you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Out of all your coworkers, Donna was the only one who even knew I existed."

Harvey hesitated before he answered. No, he didn't get into his personal life at work. Especially when it came to his mother and his sister. It was much easier to draw a line in the sand between those parts of him.

"I deal with a lot of terrible, entitled people and their shit day in and day out. So, it's a lot easier to keep my personal life to myself. Plus, well, it's taken a long time for me to even have my family in my life again. There wasn't a lot to share about before, anyway."

Emilie wasn't sure what kind of answer she was expecting when she started this conversation.

Growing up, she saw Marcus a lot more than she saw Harvey. The age gap between her and her brothers impacted that, of course - they were already grown up with their own lives when she was young. It didn't take long for her to pick up on her dad's anger towards Harvey, or how her mom's face got sad at Christmas dinners without both her boys. Or Emilie only saw Harvey when she was with Marcus or if she was in the city on her own or for school trips. Harvey was there for her in other ways - she knew he helped with her tuition and he would show up at her school concerts when she was little.

But that didn't stop her from having a lot of resentment towards him for a long time. And usually, it seemed like the feeling was mutual.

Emilie's brain flashed back to one of her worst fights with Harvey. She would always regret it.

"It's not a slight about you."

"Harvey, I'm not taking it personally. We've had a lot of ups and downs - I don't take you as the type to go knock on your coworkers door to rant about me."

"Actually, I've definitely complained to Donna about you these past few weeks." Harvey couldn't help but smirk at his sister.

"Wow, rude."

"What? I've been living on my own since after college so I'm not used to other people leaving their coffee mugs all over the place."

"Oh my god, I left one mug on the coffee table! One time."

"I have coasters for a reason."

"You're deranged."

* * *

The surprise party for Marcus was taking place in his new event space above the restaurant. The renovations had just been completed and Katie easily baited him there by having someone from the restaurant scare him with a water leak.

Emilie and Harvey made it into town with enough time to change and freshen up. They were both staying at Lily and Bobby's, Emilie in her old room and Harvey in the spare room in the basement. Emilie knew her brother had reservations about staying there but he kept tight lipped about it. Their mother was insisting they stay so it wasn't worth the argument otherwise.

They took a cab to the restaurant and waited with the rest of Marcus and Katie's friends and family.

Lily and Bobby had already arrived with Haley and Matteo.

"Uhm, Matt, how are you the same height as me all of a sudden?" Emilie pulled her nephew into a hug. It was hard sometimes to remember Emilie was an aunt to a 13 year old and an 11 year old. She was just above that she when she started babysitting them.

"Uncle Harvey, you have to come over tomorrow and play ball with me and Dad," Matt's attention was quickly pulled away from Emilie and directed towards his cool Uncle Harvey.

Emilie turned to see Harvey shaking hands with her dad and she felt a slight measure of relief.

"Hey, there's my girl," Bobby wrapped Emilie into a hug, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Thanks for taking care of her the last few weeks, Harvey."

Harvey smiled at his stepfather, "Of course. Sorry I can't help her learn to walk up stairs properly."

"Wow, low blow," Emilie replied to him quickly, raising her cast and flipping him off.

"Hey now, please keep it civil, you two," Lily interrupted their chatter, sneaking her arm behind Harvey's and leaning in to hug him.

"Harvey started it," Emilie joked, moving over to hug her mother. "Hey, where's Hales?"

Lily pointed to the end of the room where her granddaughter was sitting. Haley was seated at a tall bar top table, head down with a book in her hands. Emilie couldn't help but smile at her niece. As much as she was an extrovert, Emilie was a bookworm and would have been hiding out in a corner at an event like this, too. She made her way over and hopped onto the seat beside her.

"Auntie Emilie," Haley looked up from her book, a smile spreading across her face.

"Whatcha reading?" Emilie threw her arm over her niece's shoulder, peering down at the book. _Harry Potter. _

"Prisoner of Azkaban."

"My favourite book in the series!"

"Dad said once I'm done these books he'll let me start Lord of the Rings."

"No, you've gotta start with The Hobbit." Despite his nature, Marcus was a big reader and Emilie was always grateful for the books he would give her for gifts over the years. And clearly that passion had been passed down to Haley, too.

Emilie continued to sit and talk Potter. Harvey eventually popped by to say hello and bring them both drinks - a glass of red wine for Emilie and a Shirley Temple for Haley.

Soon enough, the room went dark and quiet as Marcus and Katie arrived. Emilie and Haley made their way to the front to stand with the family as they waited for the big surprise.

Marcus only said the word _fuck _twice when he realized what was going on. The relief on Katie's face was very clear once the charade was up. Emilie immediately got a glass of wine into her hand.

Once the calamity had settled down, Harvey found a seat in the corner of the room and Marcus took a seat to join him.

"Thanks for tearing yourself away from big city law for me, shithead," Marcus gave him a playful shove.

Harvey just smiled at his brother, "Well, I missed your 30th so I figured I should make it to this one."

As the brothers continued to chat, they were soon interrupted by their sister. She stood across from them and smiled politely.

Marcus let out a laugh. He knew that smile meant she wanted something. "What do you want, kid?"

"Marcus, does Lucky still work in the kitchen?"

"He does, yeah. I think he's down there tonight. Why?"

"That entire appetizer table is meat centric. I want something off the menu." She wanted eggplant Parmesan, considering her brother had added it on permanently after years of her complaining. And she knew her old friend Peter Luck from high school would make it for her.

"Hey, how come you don't give Marcus shit for calling you kid?"

"Because Marcus is so kind and letting me abuse his restaurant owner power to my advantage." She leaned in and kissed Marcus on the cheek then hurried away.

"Hey, I didn't say yes to that. Emilie! Don't harass my staff!"

Marcus just rolled his eyes when he saw her turn around and wave, before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

"So, how's that going?" Marcus shifted to look at Harvey, who was sipping a beer.

"Life with Emilie?" Harvey paused to think for a moment. "Challenging."

"I can only imagine. At least she's grown up a bit. I was thinking the other day about when I let her work here part time as a hostess, I think it was her senior year of high school. She yelled at a guy for ignoring his wife at the dinner table. It was honestly so funny but I had to move her to dish duty."

"Why am I not surprised by that story?" Harvey laughed. The one good thing about allowing himself back into his family life was learning about all these old memories. It was hard to accept he missed so much in their lives but he tried to make an effort to be involved now.

Marcus paused for a second, then his smile faded. "What's really going on though? I don't believe the pipe burst in her apartment scenario." Harvey gave him a confused glance. "There's always more to the story with her. Mom and Bobby usually just ignore that fact."

Harvey just nodded. Marcus had a point. He knew his mother saw a different version of Emilie.

"Well, pipe burst or not, just know that I'm handling it."

"You're not alone in this, Harvey. Neither of you are. Asking for help won't hurt you."

"Thank you. I'm trying to take care of her but she's making it a goddamn hassle most days."

"Well, you know where to find me when Hurricane Emilie meets Harvey The Destructor."

* * *

The whole family gathered at Marcus and Katie's house Saturday night. September seemed to really be holding onto the summer warmth so it was perfect weather for a dinner outside.

Emilie had spent the morning at a local Farmers Market with her mom, sister-in-law and niece, carefully picking out fresh produce for homemade pizzas. It was nice to just spend time with the girls of the family. It was a stark reminder that living in the city was nice but it left out this warm, fuzzy feeling of being around people you loved. Sure, life at home wasn't always breezy and without headaches, but it was nice to have a break from the hustle.

Emilie couldn't help but feel guilty whenever her mom brought up her apartment. She finally admitted that she had moved out to Queens, under the guise of cheap rent and a great apartment. Even if it ended up kicking her in the ass. Emilie didn't want to stress her mom our talking about her landlord situation. And everyone seemed so excited that she and Harvey were getting along and how he was helping her out.

Before dinner, Emilie took the time to bake a few things for dessert - specifically a batch of chocolate chip cookies and a strawberry pie.

"Hey Em, how come you made Harvey's favourite dessert instead of mine? It's my birthday." Marcus complained to his sister following dinner. Everyone was seated outside on the deck.

"Because she likes me more, clearly." Harvey quipped back at his brother, pointing his fork towards him.

"What did I tell you, Haley? Uncle Harvey is totally a Slytherin," Emilie nudged her niece's shoulder and they both shared a laugh. After they finished their meal and helped clean up, Emilie and Haley escaped to the basement family room to watch the third Harry Potter movie, seeing as Haley had finished the book that afternoon.

After the movie and tucking Haley into bed, Emilie was flagged down by Harvey in the kitchen. He motioned for her to follow him outside. She poured herself a glass of wine and followed him onto the deck.

"What's up?" Emilie sat down on one of the patio chairs and pulled her sweater tightly across her, pausing to sip her wine.

"They pushed the trial back again, apparently. Greg will call you Monday." Harvey fell into the seat across from her.

"What? Why? It's already two weeks away. Isn't there a rule for this?"

"The rule is the right to a speedy trial. Which can be up to 60 days following the initial arraignment."

"But you said this was a felony charge? Isn't that quicker?"

"Class D, Non-violent. It's less severe. They're just using the system to their advantage. It's really a small thing compared to some other trials."

"Great." Emilie sighed. She had a sudden urge to vent to Finn, and ask him some questions. And maybe send him a cute selfie. She patted her pockets for her phone but it became clear she didn't have it on her. "Have you seen my phone?"

"This phone? You left it on the table after dinner." Harvey grabbed it from his pocket but didn't hand it to her.

She reached her hand out to take it from him but he pulled back. "Harvey."

"You wanna explain to me why Jon Finnegan has been texting you all night?"

"Why are you even looking at my messages?" She stood up and grabbed it from him, an irritated look on her face.

"You left it on the table after dinner. Which is so considerate to just leave it laying around after I bought you a brand new replacement phone."

"Oh my god, here we go." Emilie rolled her eyes and started to walk away from him.

"Emilie," Harvey stood up after her and grabbed her uncasted wrist to stop her.

"Stop." She pulled her hand away.

"You can't have any kind of relationship with the detective on your case. He shouldn't even be texting you unless it's about the trial and even then this could be a huge -

"Conflict of interest. Yeah, I know. Mike told me that already." She waved her hand to dismiss him, as her tone increased in volume.

"You talked to Mike about this?" Harvey knew his voice was getting louder now to match hers.

"Yeah, because I knew you would overreact. My conversations with Finn are completely harmless and friendly."

"This isn't an overreaction, Emilie." Harvey's words were sharp as he stood across from her. They were dimly lit by some string lights in the backyard as the sun set. "Do you understand what conflict of interest means?"

"Don't talk down to me, Harvey. I'm not an idiot."

"Well, you're acting like an idiot. And so is Jon Finnegan if he thinks this is appropriate."

"Leave Finn out of this." She had to remind herself not to shout. She knew they were no longer concealing their conversation, considering the rest of the family was sitting in the living room and kitchen area separated by the glass patio doors.

"Besides, all we're doing is talking. Like friends! Just casual conversation. You need to calm down. It's not a big deal." Emilie knew she was lying and she figured her brother wasn't buying it. But at this point there was no way she could say any more.

"It'll turn into a very big deal very quickly. This could totally negate all the evidence and your entire case could-

"What case?" In the midst of their arguing, neither Harvey nor Emilie heard the patio door open. They both turned to see their mom standing there with Marcus and Bobby.

Emilie just sighed, taking a few steps to grab her glass of wine from the table.

"Harvey, Emilie, will someone tell us what's going on?"

Harvey just sighed, raising his hand to rub his temples. "It's a long story."

Emilie was standing in the kitchen with her mother and Marcus. Bobby had asked to speak to Harvey privately so they were sitting on the back deck again.

"Honey, you should have told us what was going on. Especially if you've been having such a hard time these past few months." Emilie was so grateful for her mother's kindness. She traded her wine glass for a cup of tea instead. She was leaning against the kitchen counter, Marcus at her side with his arm around her.

"Yeah, I would have come to help you move or rough up your landlord if he was being such a sleaze," Marcus playfully squeezed her shoulder.

"Listen, I have caused enough hardship over the years I really tried to handle this on my own. It's turned out poorly but hopefully we'll all have peace of mind over the whole thing by Thanksgiving."

"Is Harvey playing fair through this mess?" Marcus asked.

"Well, I'm grateful he's been here along the way although my actual lawyer doesn't think so."

"Is Harvey nice to you, at least?"

"Yes, mom. I mean, we butt heads and he has been trying to micromanage every part of my life but overall, I would say he averages at nice."

They were interrupted by Harvey and Bobby walking back in, positive smiles on both of their faces. Emilie was happy to see their discussion hadn't escalated into a fight too.

"Well, I'm glad we've cleared the air about this whole situation. I'm sorry we kept it from all of you." Emilie continued as they all stood in the kitchen.

"Just keep us updated." Bobby added in, glancing from his daughter to Harvey.

Lily walked over and pulled both Emilie and Harvey into a hug. "And be good to each other, please."

* * *

"You don't mind stopping at the cemetery with me?"

Emilie shook her head at Harvey as they climbed into the SUV. "Of course not."

After the late dramatics, the night ended with everyone sitting around playing cards. They all spent the morning having breakfast at Lily and Bobby's and now the pair were heading back to the city.

Emilie was not going to protest if Harvey wanted to stop and visit his father's grave. She knew he didn't get the chance to very often. She felt uncomfortable about the whole thing but she would never admit it.

Harvey and Emilie had a big fight the day of Gordon Specter's funeral and in their typical fashion, neither one of them had talked about it since. Glossed over it, sure, but no apologies were delivered, no explanation given.

Maybe it was better that way - to sweep it under the rug. They both said the wrong things at the time but they were past it now, right?

_Emilie felt uncomfortable and she wanted everyone to leave their house. _

_She didn't have much of a relationship, if any, with Gordon Specter. She knew him as her brothers' father, her mom's ex-husband. She knew her own father's relationship with her mother had torn up that marriage. _

_Emilie was sitting on the porch railing, looking out at the front yard. She felt like a child hiding outside, avoiding speaking to family. It was hardly her family. She was only there to support her mom and her brothers. Well, her mom and Marcus at least. _

_She had helped her mom bake a strawberry pie that morning, even though she didn't want to she knew it was the right thing to do. She also didn't want to go to the cemetery and watch her mother cry. But she did. _

_At sixteen, all of the heavy family drama had been weighing on Emilie. Everything was confusing. _

_Marcus continued to baby her at every moment. She figured it was how he was dealing with the grief, even though he had children of his own to worry about now. _

_Harvey had given her a stiff hug at the cemetery but wouldn't even make eye contact with her otherwise. _

_She didn't know what she hated more - Marcus being overbearing or Harvey being completely absent. _

_Either way, she was over it and found solace in the spring sunshine outside. _

_On top of everything else Harvey was dealing with on the day of his father's funeral, he couldn't even think about the state of his sister. He knew from mumblings and half honest conversations with his brother that Emilie was a mess. She was drinking, smoking, not eating, sneaking out. _

_It was easier to just ignore it. _

_His relationship with Emilie was complicated. She had an attitude problem. But the biggest issue to Harvey was what she represented to him - the affair. His mother caused him so much pain, caused his father so much pain and he was supposed to revel in having a little sister after all of it. _

_He tried. He really did. _

_But sometimes when he looked at her - he saw flashes of his mother. Her eyes. Her laugh. Her betrayal. _

_Even with Marcus trying to stop him, Harvey stormed out of the house. How could his mother let him be there? Bobby was the reason things were so broken. _

_On this day. Of all days. _

"_You couldn't even make it an hour, huh? Shocking. " Emilie hopped off the porch onto the lawn when she saw Harvey rush out of the house. Marcus was waiting inside the door, talking to Bobby. _

"_I don't have the capacity to put up with your shit today, too, Emilie." Harvey threw his hands up as he looked into the street. There were cars parked everywhere. Where was his car?_

"_Thanks for gracing us with your presence, Mr. Manhattan. Have a great drive home."_

_Harvey turned to face his sister. He took in the sight of her. Cigarette tucked behind her ear. Her dark blonde hair had been curled and flowed past her shoulders. Her skin was pale, eyes sunk in. She was wearing a long sleeve black dress hitting around her knee. She was thinner than he remembered. _

_Harvey felt a sudden urge to hug her. _

_But he couldn't. _

_He was angry. _

"_Your attention seeking tendencies are showing, Emilie. So, why don't you tell me how you really feel."_

_She let out a frustrated huff and rolled her eyes. Attention seeking tendencies. That was a _direct _quote from her childhood therapist. How dare he?_

"_Why do you think you can just come here and have it your way, Harvey? Our life has carried on here without you and it'll carry on once you leave today. It makes no difference to me especially. The way you treat my dad is disrespectful and -."_

"_Disrespectful? Wow. Grow up, Emilie. You can pick this fight any other day. I'm not doing this with you after I buried my father."_

_She took a step towards him and pointed directly at his chest, "You're not the only one grieving - you don't get a trophy for saddest boy. Mom has every right to need support and love from her husband. He's allowed to be here."_

_He grabbed her hand from in front of him, holding onto it as he spoke. "I am well aware I don't get an ownership on sorrow. I don't need my smart ass sister dictating how I feel. This isn't your place."_

_He threw her hand away, and rolled his eyes. He started to walk away. _

_This is not how he pictured this day going. _

"_Harvey, stop." Marcus stepped onto the porch in an attempt to intervene. _

_He turned back around, shaking his head. "You know what, I'm tired of letting Emilie get her way, saying what she wants without any repercussions. If she wants to be an adult, then I'll address her like one."_

_Emilie took a step closer towards him, her face was flushed red. She felt her nails digging into her hand as she clenched her fists. "Does it make you feel better to yell at your little sister, Harvey?"_

_He clenched his teeth. "Half-sister I never asked for."_

"_Harvey." Marcus took a few steps down onto the lawn. He stood a few feet away. He looked back to see people peering out the windows at them._

"_Maybe you should have just stayed home, Harvey. Let my mom and dad be together in peace."_

"_You know, one day you're going to understand the real world, kid. And it won't be forgiving." He looked at her again. Her eyes were angry. _

_He watched as she took a few short breaths. He knew she was trying to plan her next sting. _

_He knew everything was already going poorly. _

_He went in for the kill. He needed to feel something else. He needed someone else to feel his pain, too. _

"_Emilie," This time his voice came out quietly, just for her to hear. "Have it your way - I'm leaving. You and Bobby can comfort mom all you want. But you know you wouldn't even be alive if your father hadn't broken up a marriage." _

_Before she could take in what he said, Harvey was walking away towards the road. _

_Emilie started to lunge after him, but Marcus grabbed onto her. She was weak. It wasn't hard to stop her. _

_She screamed. _

"_Fuck you, Harvey!"_

Harvey walked slowly towards his father's headstone in the cemetery. It was sunny and warm for the end of September and for that he was grateful. Coming home was always going to be challenging for him - regardless of his relationships with his family.

Home was often painful. A reminder of the past and the distance he created from his former life.

He could hear the footsteps of his sister behind him. She was keeping her distance and giving him his own space. This weekend was a clear indicator of how his sister cared - he loved watching her interact with their niece, giving her friendship and laughter. It was a beautiful bond.

"Hey dad," he barely whispered as he swept his fingers across the cold stone.

He paused to look around for his sister. He spotted her a few rows away, cleaning up some fallen flowers on another grave. He let out a breath and he smiled to himself.

Emilie came over and stood beside him a few minutes later.

She wanted to apologize and tell Harvey about her regrets. She felt a heaviness in her chest as she looked down at Gordon's headstone.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything.

Harvey reached his arm out and put it over her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. Her chest felt lighter now.

"I'm sorry, Harvey. For everything I said that day."

Harvey just shook his head, cutting her off. "It's okay. I'm sorry, too."

* * *

_A/N: wowwwww I can't believe this was chapter seven! I just love these idiots. And let me just say that writing a grieving angry Harvey was difficult but hopefully I did the character justice. As you can tell, he and Emilie are very similar and reactive. And things are about to heat up when it comes to this case and a certain detective. Also, I kind of guestimated the age of Marcus' kids - in The Painting they were at Gordon's funeral and were pretty young, and that was at least seven years ago so... it may not be accurate to the actual Suits canon but I think it works here._

_Thank you to cicia724 and Andelin for the reviews. And to each and everyone of you reading and viewing and visiting! Also out of curiosity, I searched my username on twitter and saw someone (COOPaulsen, whoever you are!) had tweeted about this story in September - so thank *you* for reading too! I keep my fanfiction life very separate from my social media so I won't interact on there but I saw you and I appreciate you. _

_All your support and readership means the world to me!_


	8. On Lockdown

_**Content warning: descriptions and implications of non-consensual sex **_

* * *

Life seemed to shift when Harvey and Emilie returned from Boston.

Everything felt okay. It had been just over a month now that they had been cohabitating and weaving their lives together. They seemed to get into a normal routine and their arguments and conflict was mainly kept at a minimum. Although in a way, it felt like the calm before the storm.

Finn's communication with Emilie had slowed down. By Wednesday, it had come to a complete stop. He wouldn't return any of her messages and she had a feeling Harvey had something to do with it.

Something strange was happening to Emilie - her initial interest and attraction to Finn was really growing. She found him fun, interesting to talk to, engaging. She wanted to know more about him. It had been a long time since she had those sort of feelings for someone - and to lose it so quickly, she was feeling defeated. Rejected. Hurt.

That initial taste of Finn - his lips as they kissed, his warmth as they cuddled, his laugh as they talked - had awoken something in Emilie and she hated that it was gone so quickly. She wanted more. She couldn't remember the last time she had _feelings_ for someone. Ever the lone wolf, she often closed herself off from exploring those kinds of emotions. But this time, something felt different. Maybe it was the visit home that inspired her to think about a version of herself that had a future with someone.

By Thursday afternoon, she was frustrated.

She knew reaching out to Finn was a lost cause, but she did find herself heading to Ethan's for _something. _She didn't even want to have sex - she wanted some sort of companionship for a brief moment, some intimacy in a way she couldn't describe.

Ethan pulled her onto his bed the moment she arrived and his hands and mouth started adventuring over her body and skin.

"Hey, pause." She pulled herself away from him, placing her hands on his as he grabbed at her shirt. "Can we just, like, talk for a bit?"

Ethan gave her a strange look, but moved his hands off of her. "Are you okay?"

She just shrugged, sitting up to lean against his headboard. "Yeah I'm fine. It's just, we always dive right in."

"Okay." Ethan raised an eyebrow at her.

"So, read any good books lately?" Emilie gave him a small smile. He didn't say anything in response to her. "Any big weekend plans?"

Ethan just shrugged, "I have a date tomorrow with my cousin's friend." He shifted to sit beside her at the top of his bed.

"Oh yeah?" Emilie did her best to feign her interest. Over the past few months of their friends with benefits agreement, they had a rule where if they started sleeping with someone else, they would stop their hangouts. Nothing had ever come from any of Ethan's casual dating so far so nothing changed.

"Yeah, I think we're gonna hit it off. So, this might be it for a while." Ethan moved from his position and shifted to be more on top of her.

"This isn't talking," she said to him as he started to kiss her neck.

"Em, what do you want? An update on my fantasy hockey league? We both know this thing isn't about talking." He went in to kiss her again, this time letting his hands crawl up her shirt. She put her hands up to stop him again.

"I don't know what I want," she said quietly, shaking her head. He moved her hands away and shifted to be on top of her completely, trying to move her to lay flat on the bed.

"Ethan," she protested his actions, pushing up on his chest with her hands. "Stop."

"What's going on with you lately?" Ethan rolled his eyes as he looked at her, pulling his head away from hers. "You're the one who asked to come over today, Em." He reached down towards her waist, using one hand to fiddle with the zipper. He leaned in to kiss her on the neck again.

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind." She did her best to try and push him off of her again but he resisted. "Ethan!" She felt her breath pick up as she began to feel more and more helpless underneath him. Ethan had always been aggressive - it paired well with her feistiness in bed, too. She had never said no to him before, and they usually had pretty open communication about what they wanted, but his reaction was surprising.

"C'mon, this might be our last time, Em. Can we just do this?" He was reaching for his own waistband now, too, switching between that and still using his hand to try and pull down on her jeans.

"No, I just...Ethan, no."

She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt his lips on hers. This is not what she wanted. This is not how she pictured this would go. This was the opposite of talking and intimacy and companionship.

He put both his hands on the waistband of her jeans and pulled them down towards her knees. She tried to kick her legs to stop him. He just smirked and leaned down on top of her again, giving up on her lower half.

With all her strength, she pushed upwards onto his chest to get space between her and him and he fell over to the other side of the bed.

"What the fuck, Ethan? This is over." She swung her legs onto the floor and pulled her shirt back down. As she stood up, she reached down to fix the waistband of her jeans. How dare he? She contemplated turning around and punching him, but she didn't even want to look in his direction.

"Yeah, whatever you say, Emilie," he spat back at her, rolling his eyes. "You came over here, remember? You started this, you wanted this today. Don't act like I'm the bad guy for trying to follow through." She grabbed her jacket off the floor and rushed out of his room. She pulled on her boots at the front door and took a deep breath, fighting back tears. He was right. She had started it. She probably shouldn't have even contacted him if she just wanted to hang out. That's not what their thing was about. She knew he was the one in the wrong, she knew that. She hadn't said yes and he should have respected her.

But she still felt so awful, and gross. By the time she was slamming the door to his apartment and heading downstairs, she was fully crying.

Her brain raced for someone to call - anyone who could give her some comfort in that moment. She tried Leah but got her voicemail. She contemplated calling her mom but wasn't sure she could be honest. She made a desperate attempt to call Finn but hung up before having to listen to his voicemail message. Should she call Harvey? No, god no. What would she even say?

She started her journey home, wiping away her tears and doing her best to regain her composure.

Emilie knew she should probably stop somewhere and grab dinner, considering the consistently sad state of her brother's fridge. She wasn't hungry. She didn't want to think about food. Her brain kept flashing back to Ethan and she felt sick to her stomach.

She decided to just go straight home. It was early still - she could order in or adventure out later if she really needed. Or maybe Harvey would offer to pick something up on his way home instead.

She was barely in the building before she got a call from Harvey.

"Hey," she said quietly, doing her best to conceal her remaining sniffles from crying.

"Are you home yet? I'm wondering if you could do something for me."

Emilie sighed. She had been looking forward to a hot shower then maybe crawling under the blankets of her bed.

"I just walked in - what's up?"

"I left a few things on my desk I need for a case. Do you think you could bring them to the office for me? Usually I would send Donna to act as courier but we're all swamped here." He paused to say something to someone else in the room. "There's an order of cashew chicken in it for you."

Emilie let out a breath. "Uhm, sure. What files?"

"There's three large black ledgers and a file box."

"You do realize I'm working with one and a half hands here, right?"

"It's not heavy. I really appreciate it, Em."

Emilie had a quick, hot shower and changed into some jeans and one of Harvey's old Harvard hoodies she had found in the spare closet. She packed the ledgers into her backpack and grabbed the filebox, heading towards the subway. It was a quick ride, although the train was packed with the after work rush.

As she got to the Pearson Specter Litt building, she noticed a large amount of police cars heading down the street.

She checked her phone as she got into the elevator. She had a few missed messages from Ethan.

'_I wasn't thinking straight.'_

'_I'm sorry I was out of line'_

'_Can you call me please fuck'_

She took a deep breath and shut her eyes. She knew she didn't owe him anything. As far as she was concerned, she would never talk to him again. The elevator dinged and she shook her head, shoving her phone into her pocket.

The PSL office was pretty quiet for early evening on a weeknight. She made her way through the halls to Harvey's office, where she found her brother going over some files at his desk.

"Hey," she said quietly, knocking on his glass door and taking a few steps in. He didn't even look up from his desk.

"Can you deliver that box down to Mike in the conference room." Harvey's question came out more like a demand. She just sighed and turned around. She found Mike, Donna and Rachel all sitting in the conference room down the hall - there was huge stacks of file boxes around the room, and folders sprayed across the large table. There was also a few trays of take out food stacked up on the front cabinet.

Mike jumped up from his seat when he saw her at the door and came over to open it. She walked a few steps in and dropped the box on the table.

"Thank you," Mike opened the box and shuffled around through the files, before grabbing a folder and returning to his seat.

"This seems like a lot." Emilie commented, watching as they all turned through files.

"Full audit." Mike commented as he worked, "This company is suing our client for inflated market values on their transactions. And they only switched over to a digital archival system two years ago."

"Wow. So this is-

"Twenty years worth of transaction history."

"Well, good luck." Emilie gave them all a wide eyed look.

"Harvey ordered you dinner," Donna said to her, looking up from the files in her hand. Donna's gaze remained on her for a few extra moments, her eyes softening. Emilie turned away from her inquisitive eyes and headed to the stack of food at the end of the room.

"Donna," Harvey rushed into the conference room a few seconds later, phone in hand. "Did you get this email?"

"I haven't even checked my email since you so clearly established my current job duty is file analysis," Donna responded to him, motioning to the table of documents. She took his phone and glanced at his screen.

"Wait, are you serious?"

"What's going on?" Rachel asked, looking between Harvey and Donna, then to Mike.

Donna handed Harvey back his phone then stood up, "Apparently as of seven minutes ago, our entire building is on lockdown."

* * *

After making a few phone calls, Donna found out that the Vice President was in the city and had decided to make a last minute visit to a restaurant just down the block from their office building. Due to security protocols all buildings in the area had been locked down until the police and federal agents could determine there was a reasonable level of safety in the area. Or until the Vice President of the United States had finished his steak dinner.

Harvey let his sister hang out in his office while he helped work through things in the boardroom. He was feeling a bit guilty that she was trapped in the office for the evening on his account.

"Where are those ledgers?" Mike asked as he leaned back in his chair, tossing down a file he was finished with on the desk.

"Emilie was supposed to bring them too - I can go ask her," Harvey replied. He was finally taking the time to eat dinner. Donna had grabbed some coffee mugs from the kitchen and they were all sipping on wine from Jessica's office.

"I'll go. May as well stretch my legs." Mike motioned for him to stay and he headed out of the room. Rachel had left the room for a break a bit earlier too. They had searched all the documents pretty thoroughly by now, but clearly they were all stuck for the time being anyway.

Donna had slipped off her heels and had her legs stretched out onto another chair as she sipped her mug of wine. She pulled her legs down and turned her chair towards Harvey.

"Your sister was crying earlier," she said to her boss, a small look of concern on her face. Harvey took a minute to swallow his bite of food and leaned back in his chair.

"How do you know that?" Harvey asked her. "Never mind. Don't answer that." He let out a breath, reaching to loosen his tie.

"Some people cry at everything, it's a normal part of life. But I take it your sister isn't the type to cry over seeing a lonely old woman crying over ordering a single order of soup at the deli."

Harvey sighed. "Things have been quiet this week. Since coming back from Boston, everything seemed to be okay. Like we had reached a new normal. But I never really know with her. She's always on the Defense with me. She just assumes everything I say is critical or judgemental."

"Hmmm. Have you tried not being critical or judgemental?" Donna smirked at him, raising her eyebrows.

He just shook his head, laughing lightly. "I'll have to give it a try."

"Don't you remember being in your early 20s and worrying about how you should have it all figured out?"

"I did have it all figured out."

Donna rolled her eyes, "Emilie is a lot like you."

Harvey sighed. "I know."

"No, Harvey. You don't see _you _like I do. You will build a wall until it forces someone out of your life. Then you'll blame them for not climbing over it."

Harvey knew she was right. Donna was always right. It was one of her most reliable traits.

"What else am I supposed to do? I ask her how she's feeling or what's going on and she just glosses over it. She doesn't tell me anything."

"You're her brother, Harvey, not her father. You don't have to fix everything so maybe try to approach her like a friend who needs someone to listen, not a problem to be solved."

* * *

Emilie did not want to spend her Thursday night holed up in Harvey's office. If only she had arrived ten minutes before, she could have dropped the files and left, making an escape for her bed. But now, she was sitting cross legged at Harvey's desk, working on a project for school. At least she had her laptop with her.

She had received a curt message from Finn, apologizing for not being responsive or taking her call but that he overstepped and he couldn't talk to her until after the trial. His words sounded just like something Harvey would say.

It made her want to cry all over again but she resisted. She turned her phone off completely to avoid the temptation of responding to him, and to ignore any further communication from Ethan. She was dreading seeing him at work the next day.

Mike showed up at the office door a little way later.

"Any news?" Emilie asked him as he walked in. He leaned against the couch.

"All we know is we still can't leave," Mike replied to her, shrugging.

Emilie just nodded, leaning back in Harvey's chair.

"Harvey said you also brought a few ledgers?"

Emilie pointed to her backpack that was sitting on the round table. Mike walked over there and pulled the three books out. He sighed when he took in the size of them.

"I don't have any more brain power tonight," Mike lamented, leaving the books on the table. "What are you working on?"

Emilie raised her eyebrows at his question. She wasn't used to anyone taking any interest in her boring school projects.

She turned her laptop to show him her screen. "I'm in the middle of planning out an interactive projection for my friend's end of semester art exhibit. This program should take her seamless designs and scale them with user interaction. It's lofty but I've almost figured it out. It's just all back end coding right now and my wrist is struggling."

"So you'll run this program and-

"Paired with an infrared sensor, people will be able to manipulate it as it's projected." She moves her arms around, motioning to the scale of the projection.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive." Mike nodded, giving her a small smile. "So, senior year right? Any plans for after graduation?"

She pulled her laptop back in front of her, then shut it closed. "Ideally a job somewhere on the West coast, maybe California but it depends on what I can afford. I just want to experience something else."

"I have a friend who has a start up in San Francisco, actually. Cost of living can be steep but in the right job, I'm sure you could make it work."

"Yeah, well, you saw my living situation before. I will live in a shoebox if I need to."

Their conversation carried on for a bit. It lead from school work to college to YouTube videos of TV news anchors breaking on camera.

Mike eventually grabbed the ledgers and figured he should get back to work.

He paused and turned to Emilie before leaving, "Hey, it's not my place but I wanted to tell you I heard Harvey yelling at Finn over the phone yesterday."

Emilie just sighed, leaning an elbow onto the desk and propping her head up. "I figured. Finn very politely cut me off."

"You know Harvey is only looking out for your best interests, right?"

"Yeah. Whatever. It still stings." She shrugged, looking away from Mike. All her energy washed away when he left without saying anything else.

Mike carried the ledgers back down to the conference room. Donna and Harvey were stacking most of the documents back into boxes.

"Do we not need these?" Mike placed them down on the stack of boxes, then dropped into a chair.

"We've given up," Donna announced, taking another sip from a mug of wine. Harvey just smiled at her and nodded in agreement.

"I think Emilie's mad at you," Mike pointed at Harvey, as he reached for a mug on the table.

Harvey shook his head and squinted his eyes at Mike, "I don't remember asking for your opinion."

"I'm just saying - her mood completely dropped when I mentioned Finn and -

"Is that who you were yelling at on the phone?" Donna turned to face Harvey.

Harvey just rolled his eyes, looking at each of them for a moment, then leaned back in his chair. "You both need to just let me handle this. I did what I had to do for this trial to go safely and easily for my sister."

Before they could protest his statement, Rachel appeared at the door, "Hey, I just ran into Paulo downstairs - they're a few short for poker. Who's in?"

"Oh, I can definitely steal more of Paulo's money," Donna announced, standing up.

"My thoughts exactly,' Rachel smirked at Donna, then looked over to Mike. "You coming?" He grabbed the mug on the table and finished it off, then followed Rachel out of the room as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Harvey?" Donna turned back to Harvey as she got to the door. Harvey shook his head and motioned for her to go.

He knew he should probably go talk to his sister. He grabbed his mug of wine and finished it off, then headed towards his office.

* * *

Emilie couldn't bring herself to do any more school work. All her motivation had disappeared and she just desperately wanted to go home. Considering no one had left the building yet, she assumed they weren't going anywhere.

She stood up from Harvey's desk chair and wandered around his office, pausing to flip through his record collection.

Mike reappeared, sleeves rolled up and shoes off, "Hey, a bunch of us are going downstairs to play poker with some of the investment bankers. Wanna come?"

She shook her head, giving him a polite smile, "I'll pass." He hurried away.

She continued her search through the wall of records. She finally found one of interest to her, it was like a hug for her heavy heart. _Rumors _by Fleetwood Mac. It was one of her mother's favourite albums.

She made her way over to Harvey's record player and put it on. She kicked off her shoes and fell onto the couch, laying on her back and squeezing her eyes shut.

Emilie was used to being alone. But she wasn't used to this feeling: _loneliness. _It had been a long time since she felt so isolated.

She just laid there, still. The soft folk rock playing in the background put her at ease. She fought off imagines of earlier - Ethan pressing against her, fighting him off. She shook her head again and again, doing her best to calm her racing mind.

She focused on the music playing instead.

It reminded her of growing up. Emilie would be the first one to admit she got her way more often than not as a kid - not because she was spoiled, but because her mom didn't try very hard to parent her. Lily was a good mom, of course, but she didn't _want _to raise another kid. She and Bobby took it in stride, but they knew they were old parents. And for Lily, having a child so late in life had been hard, physically. It took a toll on her mental health especially and Emilie felt that early on.

The calm music reminded her of the good early Saturday mornings. Her dad was out of town at work. Her mom was making breakfast, singing along to _Dreams. _

But there was also the slow, quiet Sunday mornings where Lily didn't leave bed. When Emilie would pour her own cereal and eat in front of the TV. When Marcus would take her out for the afternoon.

It wasn't until she was a bit more grown up that Lily started to work on herself again. Heal her demons. Go to therapy. But for Emilie, she felt disjointed still. That's probably what lead her to act out so aggressively in high school - her mother actually started giving a shit about her again, and she hated it. She couldn't just get away with everything anymore. People cared.

It was a long road to get to where she was now.

But the memories remained. That same Sunday morning loneliness flooded back.

Suddenly, she heard someone singing along to the music, quietly. Her brother.

"This reminds me of mom," Harvey said quietly, taking a seat on the chair near the top of the couch.

"I was just having the same nostalgic thoughts," Emilie replied to him, as she stared up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry you're stuck here tonight," Harvey continued. "Hey, is that my sweatshirt?" His eyes gazed over the red Harvard crewneck she was wearing.

Emilie let out a stiff laugh, "Yeah. I found it in the closet. It just looked comfy. Sorry, I should have asked."

"No, it's okay. Just don't wear that here during the day. Certain alumni would hiss at you about wearing it if you didn't attend Harvard."

"I've only had a brief interaction with him but I assume that certain alumnus is Louis."

Harvey couldn't help but laugh. "Yes. He does leave an impact, doesn't he?"

Emilie just smiled for a moment, still staring up at the ceiling above her.

Harvey just stared over at his sister. Something seemed off about her. Maybe she was tired. Maybe she was just overwhelmed with school. Maybe the impending trial was stressing her out. He didn't know how to ask. He figured he needed to start slow.

He stood up to pour himself a drink. Then he walked over to the record player and moved the needle to a different track. The sudden pick up of _Go Your Own Way _flowed out of the record player.

"You know you want to sing along to this one, Em," Harvey called across the room to her.

Emilie rolled her eyes as her brother started to sing. She propped herself up to watch him start to rhythmically move around the office, making his way back to her. She couldn't help but laugh when he got to the chorus, semi-successfully hitting the drawn out notes.

"If I could...baby, I'd give you my world. Open up, everything's waiting for youuuuuuu.."

"Oh my god, stop," Emilie continued to laugh, sitting up on the couch to watch him.

"You can go your own waaaaaay," Harvey pointed at her to sing the next line.

She rolled her eyes but gave in, "Go your own waaaaay."

"Yes, there we go," Harvey clapped his hands together, then extended his hand out to her. "C'mon, let's go for a walk." She took his hand and he helped her stand off the couch.

They walked slowly throughout the office, which felt very peaceful and still. Harvey lead her to the elevators and he took them down a few floors. Emilie knew the office was vast but was not aware of the research library that took up two floors.

Harvey liked the library. He didn't spend much time down there now, but the walls of books and the calm, quiet atmosphere reminded him of a simpler time. Life was very different when he used to huddle over books in this space.

"Wow," Emilie barely whispered out as they walked through the endless shelves of books.

He motioned for her to follow him as he dipped further into the space. He lead her to a small corner that housed a plush couch, some chairs and a coffee table, directly underneath a large replica of the painting _Wanderer Above the Sea Of Fog. _Emilie recognized it immediately from one of her mom's old coffee table books.

"I like this little nook," she commented, taking a seat on the couch and staring up at the painting. Her brother took a seat beside her.

"Me too," Harvey agreed with her. "It was my favourite place to hide away and nap when I was an associate."

"It's nice."

"Listen, Em, I know you're mad about this thing with Finn but-

"I don't want to talk about it. I'm not mad. I was being immature. You did the right thing. I'll get over it."

Harvey decided not to say anything else. She seemed pretty final in her statement.

They both sat in silence for a few minutes.

"You didn't used to bring girls down here to hook up, did you?"

Harvey let out a laugh, "What? No. Well, maybe once or twice."

"Augh, gross. I hope they've replaced this couch."

"Oh stop. Coming from my little sister who made it very clear that her relationship with her coworker is a friends with benefits situation." Harvey turned to look at her, smirking.

Emilie's face fell when he finished talking. "Well, actually, that's over now." She leaned back onto the couch. "Do we know when this thing will be over so we can go home?"

"What happened?" Harvey shifted to look at her, ignoring her attempt to change the subject.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter."

"I feel like it's not nothing." Harvey pushed. "I know you were crying earlier." Okay, he didn't know that. But he trusted Donna's eye and instinct.

Emilie squinted her eyes as she looked over at him, "Bullshit."

"You do realize it's my job to analyze the small details in my clients. You really think I don't see your shifts in mood?" Harvey replied to her, letting out an annoyed laugh. "You purse your lips and pull at your hair when you're anxious. Your whole body tenses up when I mention your dad. If your eyes are red after a shower I know you've been crying. You think I don't notice?"

Emilie just stared at him. It's not that she assumed Harvey didn't care - it was more that he wasn't interested in caring more than he needed. Clearly he had been paying more attention the last few weeks then she realized.

She pulled her legs up onto the couch and hugged them towards her chest.

"And you do _that _when you're uncomfortable. Tell me what's going on." Harvey's eyes were soft as he looked at her.

Emilie swallowed hard. "I just.. today especially.. hmm." She paused. "You know, earlier you mentioned that album reminding you of mom. It reminds me of her, too. But it also reminds me of this weird lonely feeling in my childhood. I know you think I was this spoiled princess growing up but the reason I got my way all the time was lack of resistance."

Harvey opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself.

Emilie continued.

"What I'm trying to say is mom and my dad did not raise me the same way as mom and Gordon did for you and Marcus. Mom was sad, like postpartum _sad_, for years. And dad worked in and out of town. So I got my way because that was the only option. And now, even after mom went to therapy, dad's retired, and we've all kind of resolved our family issues, there's part of me that really struggles when things don't go my way. Like when I have a crush on someone and my brother shoves the term conflict of interest in my face over and over again. Don't roll your eyes."

She gave him a side glance and he raised his hands innocently.

"But this week - that weird lonely feeling came back harder than ever before. I'm trying to deal with it but I've always just had to be okay with being alone. I can be alone. But it's different than lonely."

Harvey was surprised by the words coming out of his sister's mouth. He didn't anticipate her opening up like this.

"Then today.." She trailed off, hugging her legs tighter. "I went to Ethan's for _something. _Not sex but, a different kind of company. Some sort of attention, I don't know." Emilie couldn't believe she was sharing this with her brother.

"But he wanted _more _and I didn't so he just took over and.." She trailed off again. She shut her eyes and wiped off a tear that was falling.

"Emilie," Harvey felt his heart rate increase as he listened to her. If he was piecing this together correctly…

"I got away before he really did anything. It's just, whatever - it was my fault anyway. I mean that's the only reason I go over to visit him so I can't blame him for wanting -

"You're fucking kidding me," Harvey stood up off the couch, his hands balled into fists. He started to mumble as he processed what she had told him. "I'll kill him. That piece of shit."

"Harvey, he didn't...it doesn't matter now." She was crying.

"Em, that's assault. Physical or sexual or whatever - its assault. No one has any authority to even touch you without your permission. God, how dare he even think - fuck."

Emilie just stood there watching Harvey talk to himself, as he paced around the small space. He finally turned to her, eyes wide. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Before she could respond, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She did not know who this version of her brother was but she appreciated the comfort.

"I'm okay. I'm just disappointed in myself." She spoke into his chest.

"Don't be. It takes a real awful person to assume a woman owes him anything."

"Yeah, well, I wish I had done things differently."

"Em," Harvey put his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. "You didn't do anything wrong." He pulled her in again. "And thank you for telling me. Now, tell me where he lives."

She let out a laugh. "Yeah, okay. You think you're gonna go beat him up or something? The building is on lockdown, Batman." She looked up at him to see he wasn't laughing.

"I know that. But Jon Finnegan has been grovelling to me all day after I yelled at him and he's _not _on lockdown."

She gave him a quizzical glance. "Harvey."

"What? A little scare tactic can go a long way."

* * *

Emilie was relieved to find out Ethan called into work Friday morning. After her big heart to heart chat with Harvey the night before, and finally getting to leave the building around midnight, she was exhausted. But it was easier knowing she wouldn't worry about Ethan all day.

Emilie could see something change in her brother after their discussion the night before. He was a bit less defensive when he talked to her, a bit kinder. Perhaps they were finally understanding each other.

She was surprised to get a visit from Finn at the end of her shift. He was waiting in the cafe, nibbling on a peanut butter cookie when she walked out of the back room.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him cautiously as she pulled her hair out of the bun on top of her head. She combed it out with her fingers as he smiled at her.

"I just got off work too. I wanted to see if you would be interested in accompanying me to the dog park."

Emilie let out a sigh, "I don't think either of us want the Conflict of Interest speech again."

"I talked to Harvey last night. He thinks a platonic friendship would not been seen as inappropriate. Plus, this trial will be over in a few weeks and should be pretty cut and dry."

Emilie hesitated.

"Unless you don't want to meet Pippin. I mean, he's going to be super sad about it considering how much I've been talking about you lately."

She smiled at him. "Okay, only because I can't go on picturing his sad puppy face. Platonic friendship it is."

* * *

_A/N: Well, there we go. Sorry to crack Emilie open so much lately but there's a few more seeds to lay before we get to the trial. More Mike+Emilie+Harvey to come next chapter, and some more Donna for you Donna fans. Will Harvey punch someone in this story? I THINK SO. Do we really think Emilie and Finn can be platonic friends? OOOH boy. _

_Thank you for all the reviews and support last chapter. I know young Emilie was a brat and grown up Emilie is still, well, growing up - but I appreciate all the feedback and hearing your feelings! Thank you Guest (x3), Andelin, cicia724, realawesome and LilSparrow7. YOU ARE ALL THE BEST. And everyone else who read along the way so far._


	9. Model Citizen

_Pre-chapter note: everything I know about law and jargon I learned from watching this show or Google. So if something is inaccurate or just plain wrong, gimmmme a break please :)_

* * *

"When did my role as your sister transition to courier?" Emilie had just gotten home from her Friday shift at the cafe. She had worked with Ethan all day and that already left her in an annoyed mood. Now, another request from her brother to deliver things to the PSL office.

Her frustration with Harvey was already stirring. While, yes, they had gotten into a cohabitation routine, it was clear he preferred to live alone. Saturday night, for example, he was hosting a poker game at his place and awkwardly tried to encourage his sister to _not be there_ for the night. His phrasing was more vague than that but she could understand his tone.

The worst part of the whole thing is Emilie felt like Harvey's concession of her friendship with Finn was a power move. Like he let her have this one thing so she owes him now. She would never say it out loud and he would never agree with her, but that was how it felt.

She dismissed that, for the most part. Because she was enjoying her friendship with Finn. Friendship was a loose term. There was clearly something more between them - an unmentioned attraction. They had only hung out twice now, last Friday at the dog park and Tuesday night they had went for a drink.

But now, Friday night they were hanging out again. They had plans to meet for a late dinner at a Mexican place when Finn was off work around seven. Until then, Emilie wanted to nap and get ready, not venture into the business district to deliver her brother's outfit change.

"There's something else I need to talk to you about too."

"Trial related? Because I already know we have that meeting on Monday."

"Not trial related. Listen, I'm in a meeting until 4:30 if you could come by around 5."

"Not only are you demanding this delivery but you're scheduling it."

"Sorry for cutting into your nap time, Emilie. But it's a small ask compared to-

"Compared to what, Harvey?"

There was a pause. "Please, Emilie. Could you just do this."

She let out a frustrated groan. "I'll be there at five."

Harvey knew letting his sister live with him was the right thing to do. And yes, they had reached a normal, balanced level of living together. But her presence was muddling up some of his usual plans. He figured once the trial was over they could create a plan for her - apartment hunt for whatever was the best option. But even broaching that topic was uncomfortable for him.

Harvey Specter could talk to anyone about anything - except asking his sister if she could spend a night away from the apartment so he could bring a date home. He had already unintentionally demanded she make plans for Saturday evening so he could host a poker game. And now he kept wrestling with asking her to not be home when he hopefully brought his date home that night too.

"So, what's your approach here?" Mike was sitting on the couch across from Harvey, reading over some files.

"For this? Cracking open their poorly written contract." Harvey didn't look up at him.

"No. With Emilie and your date tonight."

Harvey rolled his eyes. "Is it too late to tell you to stop listening to my personal conversations?"

"You're the one who's been going on and on about that brunette for weeks. So, what's the plan? Politely ask your sister to find a couch to crash on so you can bring this woman home?"

"You know, you're making me seem like a bad guy for wanting to have a dating life."

Mike smirked at him, dropping the files down on the table. "I don't think you're a bad guy. I do think you're pent up, though."

Emilie made it to the office just around five, narrowly missing the security guard Charles as he left for the day.

She had her brother's suit draped over her arm and a Red Bull in the other. She had skipped her nap and put all her force into looking as put together as possible, without looking like she tried to, for her casual date with Finn.

She straightened her dark blonde hair, which fell just past her shoulders. She was wearing a blush pink halter tucked into a black leather mini skirt, with small black boots on her feet. Her brown leather jacket was draped over her shoulders, since it didn't fit comfortably with her cast.

She knew she looked pretty put together. Her last step was to add on red lipstick but that could wait.

She wandered through the offices once she got to the 41st floor and was stopped by Mike before she made it to Harvey's door.

"Hey Emilie," Mike looked up from his phone when he spotted her.

"Hey," she responded, stopping. She saw a message from Harvey asking her ETA. "His highness is beckoning me."

"I'm about to do you a favour and forewarn you about the impending awkward conversation with your brother." Emilie raised her eyebrows at him. "Harvey got a last minute invite to be a plus one at some gala tonight. But the woman lives in New Jersey and he's trying to find the least uncomfortable way to ask you to not be home tonight."

Emilie couldn't help but laugh. A tiny part of her wanted to stay the night with Finn anyway. Not that she would assume such a thing would happen but considering the way she had been talking to him lately, it seemed like a possibility. Worst case scenario, Leah had a futon. Not that she would tell Harvey her Plan A of sleeping in Finn's bed. That was far from platonic.

"Well, lucky for Harvey I do have some friends who have couches. Although, this is going to be a fun conversation to watch him sweat. You coming?"

Mike nodded and walked with her down the hall to Harvey's office. They found Harvey leaning over Donna's desk.

"Speak of the devil," Donna smiled at Emilie as she approached.

"Your robes, sir," Emilie handed the garment bag over to her brother. "I also picked out a different tie for you. Navy blue. It'll look better."

"To match his eyes, of course," Donna added in.

"Thank you," Harvey said to his sister, motioning for her to follow him into his office.

"You do know those two words. Fascinating."

Harvey rolled his eyes then dropped down on the couch. Emilie sat in the chair beside home. "So, what's up?"

"Did that piece of shit apologize to you yet?" Harvey was referring to Ethan. Emilie wasn't sure what happened, if Harvey has actually sent Finn to his apartment or not, but she didn't ask. She could tell Harvey was still bothered by the whole thing. Admittedly, Emilie was too. But she was trying to move past it.

"Barely. He just avoids me altogether at work. Which is fine, to be honest."

Harvey just nodded at her. There was nothing else he could say without upsetting them both. So, moving on.

"Two things. First, since I pretty blatantly requested the use of the apartment tomorrow night already for poker, I thought you might appreciate these." Harvey handed his sister an envelope. She opened it to find two tickets: _Hello, Dolly! Third Row, Seat 17 & 18_

"You're kidding! This has been sold out for months."

"Yeah, well, depends on who you know." Harvey smirked to himself. "Take whoever you want. Although I know Donna nearly died when she picked them up."

Emilie stood up from her seat and turned to look at Donna, who was standing with Mike. They were both very clearly watching her and Harvey speak. She pointed the tickets at Donna and gave her a thumbs up. The redhead's eyes lit up and she smiled happily at Emilie.

"And, now, the second thing." Emilie sat back down and gave her brother a playful smile.

"Mike told you, didn't he?"

"Told me what?"

Harvey sighed, reaching up to loosen his tie. "You're really gonna make me say it."

Emilie leaned forward towards him. "Make you say what?"

Harvey pursed his lips for a moment, then opened his mouth. Then closed it. Emilie was enjoying him struggle to find the right words. She took a sip of her Red Bull and watched him wreck his brain.

Harvey closed his eyes and quietly spoke, "I want to bring a date home tonight after this event."

"Sorry, I can't hear you."

"Emilie, c'mon."

She finally smiled at him, leaning back on the chair.

"I'm going out with Leah tonight so I can crash at her place. Have fun."

Harvey nearly choked. "Please never tell me to _have fun_."

"Would you rather I remind you to use a condom?"

Harvey stood up, eyes wide at his sister. "Okay, this conversation is over."

"I hope these tickets also include dinner for Donna and I." Emilie patted her brother on the arm then walked out of his office, joining Mike and Donna who were laughing at them.

"I hope you both enjoyed that," Harvey followed his sister out his door.

"Very much so," Donna smirked at him.

"Well, this has been nice but I'm off," Emilie waved at them as she turned to walk away. "See you tomorrow, Donna. And good luck tonight, Harvey."

Harvey resisted quipping back at her, "Text me later so I know you're alive!"

She gave him one last smirk before turning towards the elevators.

Harvey let out an irritated sigh as he watched his sister leave.

"I think Emilie is my favourite member of your family," Mike said to Harvey as he walked away, typing into his phone.

"You know you just encouraged her to stay over at a boy's house," Donna said to Harvey, as she walked around her desk to grab her coat.

"What? No. She said she was going out with Leah or something."

"That was not a '_going out with a girlfriend' _outfit."

"Shit."

* * *

Emilie probably didn't need more than one margarita with dinner but she couldn't help herself. They were delicious. And as she chatted with Finn, she couldn't stop sipping.

It was her third that was the problem. She managed to dump half of it on her shirt and laugh, just as Finn was paying the bill.

She held his arm as they walked out of the restaurant.

"So, what's next Miss Bryant?" Finn stood just ahead of her, a smile seemingly stuck on his face.

"Well, my brother kicked me out for the night. So, my tentative plan is to sleep on my friends futon."

"That sounds terrible," Finn replied to her, slipping his hand into hers. "I have a large bed. I'm sure Pippin would give up his spot for one night. If you're interested."

"Strictly platonic bed sharing."

"Mm hmm. Friends only hand holding." They walked from the restaurant to Finn's place. He lived with his brother, technically. They lived in a townhouse in Prospect Park that was in their family for ages. Finn lived in the renovated basement with direct access to the small backyard for his dog, while his brother lived in the rest of the house. They shared the kitchen.

Finn's basement suite was nice. It was clearly a man's space - indicated by a severe lack of decor aside from some sports posters tacked on the wall. But it was nice just the same - a living room area with a large TV and plush couch, one bedroom, one bathroom.

They stood in the backyard for a bit when they got home, letting Pippin out to run around. Once they were inside, Emilie kicked off her boots and stood anxiously while Finn filled up the dog bowls.

"So," Emilie started, sliding off her jacket. "My shirt is covered in margarita still."

"You can take it off, if you want," Finn walked towards her, a half smile on his face. Emilie couldn't help but blush as he looked at her.

"I just want to make something very clear," Emilie continued, as Finn's hands landed on her waist. "I do not want to be just friends with you."

"I don't either, Em. But Harvey-

"Please don't say my brother's name as your hands move up and down my back."

"For the time being: out there, just friends." Finn motioned his head towards the door. "In here, whatever we want."

She paused to look at him. Tall, strong, kind, handsome. He was wearing a button up plaid shirt. His face had a scratchy five o'clock shadow growing. His lips looked so soft. His eyes were playful and enticing.

"Well, I want you to help me out of this shirt," she said quietly, pushing herself onto her toes to kiss him. She pulled away, her eyes locked on his. She nearly died when he bit his lip. "Then maybe this skirt, too."

She spent many nights at Ethan's over the summer but she never woke up in his arms, like she did with Finn. There was a very real peace as she stirred in the morning - tucked under Finn's arm, Pippin laying at the foot of the bed.

Maybe this is what feelings were. It had been so long since Emilie had opened up a part of herself to someone, so long since she could wrap her head around _intimacy. _Maybe it wasn't so bad.

Yes, she had slept with Finn. Thoroughly. _Twice_. But then she didn't run away. Then they talked for hours. And she ran her hand through his hair and he traced his fingers up her back until she fell asleep.

And now, laying in the warm morning air, peace.

Later that morning, they were out taking Pippin for a walk.

"If I'm being honest Em, I thought I would wake up and you'd be gone this morning," Finn glanced over at Emilie as they paused at a crosswalk. She squatted down to pet Pippin as they waited.

She glanced up at him. "Really?"

"I don't want you to take offence but I thought you'd get scared and run."

"Okay, I can't lie. I considered it very briefly in the middle of the night. But what was I going to do? Rush home to join Harvey and his date for breakfast?"

"So, you're just using me for my bed and dog. Is that it?" Finn smiled at her. She was wearing a pair of his sunglasses and one of his NYPD training shirts, tucked into her skirt.

She just smirked and nudged his arm as she stood up, "Wow. You are a very good detective, Jon Finnegan."

* * *

"She came home wearing some NYPD t-shirt, Donna."

"So? Maybe she got it at some second hand store. Vintage. Thrifty."

Harvey and Donna were standing in his kitchen. Donna has agreed to meet Emilie there since they had convinced Harvey to let them use Ray as their chauffeur that night.

Emilie was still getting ready.

"I told her and Finn that this was not okay."

"Then you told them it was! You can't assume that her wearing a random T-shirt means anything other than her wearing a t-shirt. She very may well have slept over at a friends house. If that friend ends up being a New York City detective, you have to just deal with it. I'm sure he has a couch."

Harvey groaned. He knew he should just let it go.

"Harvey, I think you should turn a blind eye here."

"Or you could figure out the details for me tonight."

"I'm not meddling in this."

"Please, Donna."

"What happens when you find out she is, in fact, sleeping with Finn?"

Harvey let out a breath then pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what, maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right."

"What are you two whispering about?"

Harvey and Donna turned their attention to Emilie as she came out of her room. She had on a pair of heels and a short black dress, paired with a faux leather blazer.

"Our whispering is none of your concern," Harvey said simply, heading to the fridge to pull out some things. He hosted a group for poker every so often. This time it was a few of his old coworkers, a few Harvard alumni and Mike Ross. Somehow a poker table had arrived in the apartment but Emilie didn't bother asking about it. Of course Harvey had some poker table connection.

Donna and Emilie made their way to the bar during intermission of the show.

"Thanks again for coming with me, Donna," Emilie said, grabbing their glasses of wine from the bartender. They shuffled over to a table top in the crowded theatre lobby.

"Thank you for letting me be your plus one," Donna replied to her.

"Honestly, all my close friends are theatre majors and the like. But every time I thought of them sitting beside me, singing along and providing colour commentary on the details of the plot and choreography, I just couldn't handle it. Sometimes you've just gotta enjoy things, you know?"

Donna raised her glass to Emilie, "Here, here." They both giggled as the clinked their glasses and sipped their wine.

"So, Donna, what's the story with you and my brother."

Donna smirked at her, "What does that mean?"

Emilie put her glass down on the table and gave Donna a _look, _"Are you serious? There is a magnetic force between you both."

Donna let out a laugh, her face falling into a straight line smile, "I don't cross the line with coworkers. It's a grey area."

"Yeah, sure. But you guys have slept together, right?"

"Do you really want to talk to me about your brother's sex life?"

"Of course I don't want the details. I just want confirmation!"

"Did you sleep with Jon Finnegan last night?"

Emilie nearly choked on her wine. "You just went for it, huh?"

Donna raised an eyebrow to her, taking another large sip of her wine, "I assume he's the one who's been texting you and making you smile all night. So, if we're swapping secrets."

"Okay. Fine." The lights above started to flash, indicating the second half of the show was starting soon. "I will not confirm or deny sleeping over at Finn's last night." Emilie's eyes narrowed as she looked at the redhead. A challenge.

"God, you're just like Harvey." Donna hesitated for a moment, then finished off her drink. "I will not confirm or deny sleeping with your brother one time, years ago. And whether or not I want to do it again.

Emilie's eyes went wide and she tipped the rest of her wine into her mouth.

Donna laughed and took her arm, as they headed back into the theatre. "This conversation never happened."

Following the show, Donna and Emilie went for another drink or two and split a pizza at a nearby bistro - thanks to Harvey's credit card. They lamented over his annoying traits and bonded over their past working in restaurants.

It was nearly midnight when they returned to Harvey's and Emilie insisted Donna come inside for a bit. Mike texted her and said most people had left anyway. Or as he worded it: he had taken everyone's money already.

When they got upstairs, Harvey and Mike were sitting at the card table with drinks.

"How was the show?" Mike asked as they made their way in.

"I've decided to drop out of university and join the touring cast." Emilie announced with a smile. She glanced over at Harvey. "What? No reaction?"

Harvey couldn't help but laugh at his sister. "Empty threat. You can sing but you sure as hell can't dance. I remember your 7th grade production of _Grease._"

"Wow, ouch, I was a perfect Rizzo. Mrs. King told me my rhythm was, and I quote, _good enough_," Emilie placed her hand over her heart. She walked over and handed Harvey his credit card. "Thank you, by the way." He rolled his eyes as he took it from her, returning it to his wallet.

"Wow, looks like we all shook you for money tonight, champ," Mike clamped his hand on Harvey's arm, a wide smile on his face.

"Lost again, huh?" Donna took a seat in one of the empty chairs beside Harvey, grabbing the deck of cards.

"No, Donna, he let me win. Isn't that the speech you're about to give?" Mike jumped in, tossing a chip at Harvey.

"So, what you're saying is that Harvey is all talk and no game?" Emilie plunked down in another empty chair, passing a drink over to Donna.

Harvey rolled his eyes again. "I don't like the three of you ganging up on me."

* * *

Emilie was grateful she didn't have to sit at the table with her lawyer. Since it was a matter of defendant vs. the state, she was really only there to observe and act as a witness.

The trial was being overseen by only one judge and no jury. Both Harvey and Patrick told her the whole thing would be quick and hopefully painless. It was unlikely to be dismissed.

Emilie was just worried about being called as a witness.

She wouldn't admit it to anyone but she had regrets about the whole thing. Yes, her landlord was in the wrong and justice was due to be served. But this, all of this, was because of her. She could have just moved out. Especially if he said he didn't record any footage of her. She could have moved out and moved on. She knew she was doing the right thing but now, sitting in a courtroom _waiting_ was stressing her out even more.

It was the fourth case of the morning. They were waiting in the hall before the previous one finished up. Emilie was staring out the window at the end of the hall, desperately trying to think about anything else.

Harvey was standing beside her, sipping a coffee and scrolling through his phone.

"Hey, do you remember when me and Marcus and Katie visited you when I was younger? Like 12? They took me to a concert then left me with you for the night the next day?"

Harvey glanced up from his phone to look at his sister. The pain in his side was growing, likely from nerves about this whole thing.

"Vaguely." His response was short.

"You took me to some diner. Where was that?"

"Em, I don't remember." His tone was annoyed. "Probably somewhere in Astoria. Is this important right now?"

She rolled her eyes as his attention went back to his phone. "I guess not."

Both Mike and Finn showed up not long after. Greg was standing down the hall on the phone.

"You alright?" Finn stood close to her, reaching out to touch her arm for a brief moment.

Emilie smiled. It was nice for him to check in. She just shrugged.

He just nodded. "Did you eat this morning?"

"Someone forced a bagel on me. Although he only consumed Advil for breakfast." She motioned to Harvey, who had turned to talk to Mike.

"Alright, it's time," Greg stopped in front of them as the doors opened to the courtroom. Just as they all shuffled to start walking in, Emilie's landlord appeared in the hallway, as well. He looked put together - more so then she had ever seen before. Suit jacket, button up shirt, clean shaven, a smarmy smile on his face as he looked at her.

Beside him stood who Emilie assumed was his lawyer. She was certain she heard Harvey swear under his breath. He put his hand on his sister's shoulder to pause, as they let everyone else walk in before them. She turned to look at him.

"_Why does it matter what I wear tomorrow?" Emilie was sitting on the couch, typing into her laptop. She glanced up to look at Harvey, who was standing across the room from her. She noticed he was pressing at his lower abdomen. _

"_Are you okay?" She asked, watching as he moved towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. _

"_I'm fine. I must have pulled a muscle this morning during my run."_

"_Okay, old man."_

"_Emilie, it's important that you look like a model citizen tomorrow."_

"_Harvey, I'm not the one on trial, remember?"_

"_I know that." Harvey gritted his teeth for a moment, then let out a breath. "But your landlord's lawyer is going to paint him as an upright member of society who made a mistake. They want to prove that your landlord gets the least amount of punishment for his actions. But when you're up on that stand, you have to look put together. You have to speak clearly and concisely. Your testimony is a key part of this prosecution."_

_Emilie closed her laptop and moved it onto the coffee table. _

"_You have to sit up straight. Make eye contact. No distractions."_

"_No pressure, Emilie," she muttered to herself, leaning back on the couch and pulling up her legs. _

"_Emilie, I cannot stress enough how you need to take tomorrow seriously." Harvey's volume was growing. _

_She let out a frustrated groan. "What makes you so sure I won't? You've repeated that ten times this week. I know this is serious, Harvey."_

Harvey paused to look at his sister. There she stood - collared navy blue dress, blazer, short heels, hair pulled into a slick ponytail. He never thought he would be walking into a courtroom with her.

This very moment was another reminder he could have prevented this mess.

"Em, whatever happens today, you need to remember none of this was your fault."

She just nodded, shrugging his hand off of her shoulder, "Let's just rip off this Band-Aid." She looked at him, watching him wince and grab his side for a brief moment, before swallowing and letting out a breath.

She turned and headed into the courtroom.

She sat at the end of the row, with Harvey at her side. Beside him were Mike and Finn. Emilie wished desperately she could have fin beside her instead, holding her hand.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket to check her messages but before she could even look at the screen, Harvey reached over and took it from her. "No distractions." He placed it in his interior jacket pocket and looked forward. Emilie just let out a small sigh and took a deep breath.

There was no jury for her trial. Patrick explained that the defending lawyer was confident the judge would rule in his clients favour, so requesting a jury was unnecessary for such a minor case. What Emilie understood from that was that the judge held all the power and decided the fate of her slimey landlord.

Everything occurred just as they had told her at their pre-trial meeting at the beginning of the week.

The judge started.

"We are here to conclude the case of Moore Vs. The State Of New York. Current charges against Mr. Moore are as follows: surveillance equipment was found in the bathroom of the unit Mr. Moore rented out to Miss Emilie Bryant. This intent to record and view footage of a person without their consent, where they have a right to privacy, is classified as a Non-Violent Class D Felony." The judge paused to look up from his paperwork. "Mr. Moore, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty, your honour."

Emilie was watching the judge intensely. He was an older man, with grey hair and round bottle cap glasses. He was stoic - no sign of any emotion on his face.

He announced for the prosecution to proceed.

"Your honour, the defendant states he only installed the surveillance equipment in his rental unit for security purposes and that he never recorded or kept any footage from the installed camera in Miss Bryant's bathroom. To be frank, that reasoning has no strength. He claims the camera would only capture footage of the window, which contradicts the position of having a clear view of Miss Bryant's shower. Regardless of whether or not he recorded and kept footage of anyone with that camera, the initial sentencing holds true: there was intent. The camera was installed. That alone violates privacy laws in the state of New York."

Emilie was impressed. She could feel Harvey shuffle in his seat beside her. He leaned over and made a comment to Mike.

Greg called Finn up as the first witness, having him explain what they found as far as cameras and set up.

Then, it was Emilie's turn. Greg asked her various questions about her experience living in that apartment and what happened when she found the cameras.

"Miss Bryant, could you explain briefly how finding a hidden camera in your bathroom made you feel?"

Emilie remembered what Harvey said. She sat up straight. She made eye contact with Greg. She avoided her brother's eyes.

"Honestly, it made me sick to my stomach. I felt violated - it made me rethink every moment of living in that apartment and it gave me intense paranoia about where else there might be cameras. I couldn't sleep for weeks afterwards, even after vacating the unit."

It was easy. It was done.

The defendant asked for a dismissal, which the judge denied. Then, it was time for the cross examination.

This is what Emilie was really worried about.

Harvey had warned her about Patrick Boone. He worked for another big firm in the city and Harvey had crossed paths with him before. And butted heads frequently. Boone made a reputation for himself defending rich entitled people who skirted the law. He had a bite and not a shred of emotion in the courtroom.

"Before calling up any witnesses, I would like to add onto the record six character references for my client. Let it show that while, yes, it can be argued there was intent behind his actions, Mr. Moore is an exemplary citizen." Patrick walked up to the judge, dropping off a file folder full of documents. "Now, the Defense calls Emilie Bryant to the stand."

Emilie swallowed hard as she returned to the small enclosed area at the front.

"Miss Bryant, how long did you live in this apartment?"

"From March 1st until September 8th."

"Now, for just shy of six months, my client reported you paid just over $7000 in rent. In Queens, the average cost of rent for a studio apartment for six months would be closer to $10,000. Can you explain why your rent was so low?"

"Well, I moved into the apartment quickly and had a difficult budget."

"So, you're confirming that out of the goodness of his heart, Edward agreed to give you a deal on the cost of your rent payments."

"I guess you could say that. But -."

"I think it's clear, your honour, that my client had no ill intentions renting this unit to Miss Bryant. In fact, he saw a young woman who was down on her luck and did her a favour. As previously entered on record, the crime stats in Queens indicate an increase in break and entering in the last twelve month period. My client can not be faulted for taking precautions by installing cameras at key ground level access points, like the lower window well attached to Miss Bryant's bathroom."

The judge nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"Miss Bryant, did you ever feel unsafe in your apartment prior to finding what you believed to be cameras?"

Emilie sighed. She hesitated.

Patrick took a step forward. "Miss Bryant. Do you need me to repeat the question?"

"No. I never felt unsafe."

"And did Edward Moore ever make any comments or references to you that made you feel uneasy or that your peace of mind was at risk while living in his rental unit?"

Emilie shook her head, "No."

"The takeaway here, your honour, is my client was a good landlord to Miss Bryant and the video equipment was installed with security purposes in mind. He has offered a verbal or written apology for her troubles."

Emilie stopped listening when she left the stand. She sat beside her brother and looked straight ahead as the lawyers talked back and forth to the judge. More fancy words. More critique of the system. She felt her brother nudge her to pay attention and she just did her best to slide away from his side.

She wanted this to be over.

She wanted to just stand up and walk away. She didn't even want to hear the sentencing or lack thereof.

Eventually, she saw Greg sit back down and heard the judge start to speak.

"I think it's evident that Mr. Moore did not act with malice. The testimony, character references and lack of prior charges support that. That being said, even implying the intent to record where someone would be in a vulnerable position can not be swept aside, Mr. Moore. Therefore, the conviction of guilty remains and the sentence is as follows: one month of probation and a few of $1000 to be paid to the state for time and damages. Your name will not be added to the State Sex Offender list but tread carefully, as any other slip up will cause the state to revoke your ability to landlord. Case dismissed." The judge banged his gavel and left quickly. The rest of the room started to shuffle.

Emilie stayed frozen in her seat.

Harvey jumped up from his seat. "Bullshit!" He leaned over the divider, pointing at Greg. "That was a slap on the wrist. You need to do something about this." He slowly shuffled past his sister who was still sitting and started to argue with Greg.

Emilie looked down at her hands.

That was it.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mike slid down on the bench and put his hand on Emilie's shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever. I need to…" She paused and looked over at her brother. Finn has joined him at the front and they were both pointing at Greg. "I'm just going to run to the washroom."

Mike just nodded and watched as she slipped out of the bench and hurried out the door. She took a few deep breaths as she looked around the hallways. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster in the crowd of people.

It was over. She could relax now. Her landlord got away with it. Her landlord did nothing wrong. Her landlord did everything wrong. Her landlord got away with it. She hadn't said enough to help incriminate him. She hadn't done enough. She wasn't enough.

As she headed down the hall, it was her landlord she nearly ran into.

Just making eye contact with him nearly made Emilie throw up.

"Excuse me," she did her best to push past him.

"I'll be seeing you, Emilie," he said quietly as she moved around him.

She found the washroom and stopped in front of the sink. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, then splashed some water on her face.

"Get your shit together, Emilie, and deal with this." She said to herself. She pulled her hair out of the tight ponytail and shook her head. She didn't want to be here.

She didn't want to look at Harvey's angry, disappointed eyes.

She didn't want to hear Finn's kind, comforting words.

And she sure as hell didn't want to cry.

She let out a breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

She walked out of the washroom and paused. She had two options. Return to the courtroom and deal with everyone. Or she could just leave. She motioned her head down the hall where she could see Mike standing on his phone. She glanced down the other way, where she saw a staircase and then a door to the outside world.

She took the staircase and headed towards the door.

Where she was going, she wasn't sure. But it was better than dealing with everything else.

"Emilie, wait!" She could hear Mike yelling her name as she dashed down the stairs. She didn't turn back. "Emilie!"

_A/N: ahhhhhh ahhhh okay okay. what now, my argumentative siblings. listen, I'll be honest, writing this lawyer stuff is not for me. but the trial had to happen. so what's next? well, Emilie may be a pain in Harvey's side but what about...that pain in Harvey's side. and where is Emilie going to live now? is running away from her problems a solution? and is this really the last of her landlord? will there be a return to the karaoke bar? will Harvey please finally punch someone? and listen, i know we are all Harvey/Donna fans! This is not a love story, but im trying my best to sprinkle them in._

_thank you to cicia724, Pranjal, anonymous and Andelin for the reviews. And again to all of you out there reading along. this has been a fun one to map out - I've just wrapped up plotting the plot._


	10. Messy Day

Harvey Specter was angry.

After watching his sister's slimey landlord receive little to no punishment for installing a camera in her bathroom, he was also told off by Gregory Wright.

"We'll file an appeal but you and I both know without any other evidence it's a shot in the dark. So, if you could get your hand out of my face and let me get on with my day, Mr. Specter. You're lucky I even let you be in the courtroom today." Greg left without saying anything else.

Harvey slammed a chair into the front table, grabbing his side as he winced in pain. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. He turned around and scanned the room.

"Where's Emilie?"

"She ran to the washroom," Mike answered him, standing a few feet away with his arms crossed.

"Can you go find her, please." Harvey took a seat on one of the benches. Mike nodded and headed to the hallway.

The room was basically empty now, save for Harvey and Finn.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked Harvey. "You look like you're in pain."

Harvey waved his hand, "I'm fine."

"So, what next? Something about this whole thing still feels off to me. How can I help?"

Harvey looked up at Finn. He had known him for a while and over the last year especially he had seen him really grow into his role as detective. He was young to secure the job but time and time again he proved his worth. He always took Harvey's calls and helped out with favours when he was able.

And in that moment, it was clear that Finn might actually genuinely care for Emilie.

"Well, hopefully Greg files a dispute. But we need to keep digging."

Finn nodded his head and opened his mouth to reply. Mike hurried back in the room, slightly out of breath.

"Emilie left." He motioned to the hallway. "I tried to follow her but she disappeared in a crowd heading towards the subway stop up the block."

Harvey stood up, running a hand through his hair. He didn't even take a moment to ask if she was okay before he yelled at her lawyer. He didn't even look at her. His mind started to race. He let his lawyer side take over entirely in the heat of the moment when he should have comforted his sister.

"I'll call her," Finn took his phone out of his pocket.

Harvey reached for the left side of his chest as he felt it vibrating. "Don't bother. I took her phone." He let out a breath. "Fuck!"

Mike and Harvey headed back to the office while Finn said he'd go out to see if he could track down Emilie. None of them had any specific place in mind where she might have ventured to, but they brainstormed a few things and Finn went on his way. They figured she just needed some time to herself and she would eventually go home. Without being able to contact her, that was the best they could do.

Mike matched Harvey's quick pace as they headed into the building. "So, I've been thinking. I can't figure out why someone like Emilie's landlord would hire someone like Boone. Especially from a financial perspective. The dude is a professional landlord, it's not _that_ lucrative."

"Which means someone else is fronting the bill." Harvey replied to him, doing his best to stand very still in the elevator.

The pain in Harvey's side was increasing. He was starting to worry this was beyond a pulled muscle. No, he wasn't an idiot. It was definitely more than a pulled muscle. He was just hoping it would eventually go away.

"Exactly."

"Well, if the DA's office won't follow that trail, we'll do it for them. It's a great lead if you can dig anything up."

"I'm on it, boss." Mike paused when they stepped out of the elevator. "Harvey. She's gonna be okay, you know. She just needs some space."

Harvey just nodded, patting Mike on the shoulder as he walked away. Harvey winced as he made his way towards his desk.

All he could think about was his sister. Was she holed up somewhere crying? Was she taking care of herself? Was she going to eat something? He should have been there for her. Today and last February. This whole thing could have been avoided if he had just helped her. Why couldn't he just help her?

Strong hearted Emilie.

Fragile little Emmy.

"I take it from your face it didn't go well," Donna stood up from her chair. "Harvey, what's wrong?"

He clutched his side as he leaned on the top of her desk. "Just a pulled muscle."

"Harvey!" Donna hurried around the desk and did her best to help hold him up. "How long have you been in this much pain?"

"It keeps getting worse. I just need an Advil."

Donna reached across her desk and grabbed her phone, muttering to herself about what a child he was and how he needed to go to urgent care.

"Just call Ray to take me. No need to make a scene." Harvey did his best to stand up. "And Donna, we need to find Emilie."

* * *

Emilie knew running away from the courtroom was juvenile. But she didn't want to face Harvey. Or Finn. Or Mike, even.

She didn't want sympathetic eyes and pity. She didn't want excuses or an explanation. She didn't want a speech about the justice system and how sometimes things didn't work out.

She wanted none of it.

She had ignored Mike's call as she left the building, sneaking into a crowd of people down the block.

It wasn't until she got off the subway downtown did she realize she didn't have her phone. She swore under her breath as she planned her next move.

She decided to head to the NYU gym, where she knew she had a spare set of clothes in her locker. After ditching her dress and blazer, she ran on the track. She wasn't sure how many loops she did but her brain was on autopilot.

Part of her wanted to call Ethan's roommate for weed. Part of her wanted to go buy a box of wine and cry in the shower.

More than anything, she wanted to call Finn. And have him wrap her in a hug and gently kiss her on top of the head and tell her how it was going to be okay.

Emilie was angry. And confused. After all she had been through - displaced from her home, anxious with worry about the cameras, put through the paces for this whole trial - and her landlord got a manageable fine and probation. What was the point of the entire case and trial if he got away with everything? Wasn't the point of the justice system to do just that - serve justice?

She ran and ran and ran. Eventually, as her chest heaved and her face flushed, she made herself slow down. She didn't have to go this alone. Hiding out wasn't going to do anything for her but prolong the conversations.

She left NYU and headed in the direction of home. Hopefully at least Harvey would be there now that the work day was over and she could have her phone again. Then lock herself in her room for the night.

She didn't want to deal with what comes next. And clearly Harvey didn't either. Considering he couldn't even bare to look at her once the verdict was read. He didn't even bother asking how she was or offering an ounce of comfort. She knew it wasn't Harvey's style but the least he could do was show a bit of sympathy. They had been doing so well lately. They had come so far since the beginning of September. But now? Maybe nothing had changed.

Emilie just sighed as she walked through the busy streets.

She stopped at _Stomping Grounds _on her way home.

"Hey sweetie," Jackie welcomed Emilie with a warm smile as she approached the till.

"Hey Jackie. Could I just get two caramel lattes to go?" The least she could do is bring one home for her brother.

The woman nodded, waving her hand away as Emilie tried to pay with cash. "Oh. A handsome police officer came here looking for you today. He was concerned about you. I could see it in his eyes."

Emilie couldn't help but blush at Jackie's comment. Finn.

She thanked her boss and headed to Harvey's.

When she walked in the door, she was confused to find Mike sitting at the kitchen island.

"Hey, where have you been?" Mike stood up from his seat.

Emilie gave him a confused look. "I just needed to clear my head. What are you doing here? Where's Harvey?"

Mike sighed. He pulled her phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "He's at the hospital."

Emilie nearly dropped the tray of drinks. "What? Is he okay?" She walked over to the island and set the tray down, nervously scrolling through the missed messages on her phone. "Don't tell me he's there alone."

"Donna is there right now. She said he was just getting out of surgery."

"Surgery?!"

"It's just his appendix. But it was severely inflamed so they needed to take it out."

Emilie sighed then started to rush around the apartment. "I need to shower. And change. And maybe cry. Then I need to go see him. Where is he?"

"Emilie," Mike turned to watch her rush into her room, "We'll go together. Just take a deep breath. He's going to be fine."

She stuck her head out of her door and gave Mike a small smile. "Thanks, Mike."

* * *

"_Cassie, you do realize that you've left me on the hook for an apartment I can't fucking afford."_

"_Well, you should have thought of that before you hit on my boyfriend then started spreading lies about him."_

"_For the last time, I didn't sleep with Jordan! What don't you understand? He's lying to you. I didn't do anything. He made a pass AT ME. He literally put his hand under my skirt at the New Years party. How could you side with him?"_

"_I don't care, Em. Good luck with everything."_

"_Cassie, please. Just listen to me. We've been friends for years. I'm telling you the truth here. You deserve better than him."_

"_No, Emilie. I deserve better friends and you deserve to be alone." Emilie watched her best friend slam the door behind her as she left. _

_Emilie sunk down onto the floor as she looked around her half empty apartment. What was she supposed to do now?_

_She had just signed off on a new lease. She didn't realize it was only her name on the paperwork. She had no clue how to fix this. _

_She grabbed a bottle of wine from the sad, empty fridge and flipped onto the couch. She scrolled through her phone and stopped on her brother's name. _

_She took a swig of her wine then hit the call button. _

_For some reason, February was not going smoothly for Harvey. His last misgiving was losing a big client for an asinine reason - although, when it came down to it, he knew it was his own fault. Sometimes his mouth gets him in trouble and this time he couldn't talk his way out of it. _

_To top it off, Donna was off sick and Mike was being a pain in the ass. _

_More than anything else, he wanted to go home early, put on an old blues record and shut off his phone. _

_Just as he was packing up his laptop for the day, he saw his phone ringing. The name on the call display was a surprise to him: Emilie Bryant. _

_He hadn't talked to his sister since Christmas. He had only zipped home for a few days but they had all enjoyed an amicable dinner and indulged in some family traditions. He and Emilie were civil, mainly for the sake of their mother. _

_But she never called him. For a moment, his heart fluttered with worry. That passed, though, as usually Emilie only reached out if she had gotten herself into a mess. _

_He sighed as he answered the call. _

"_Hey kid," he leaned back in his chair. He heard her sigh. _

"_Hey Harvey," she started. She paused to take another drink. There was an empty silence. _

"_What's up? As riveting as it is to hear you breathe, I'm a busy guy."_

_Emilie rolled her eyes. "I need you to help me with something."_

"_What a strange way to phrase a question. What makes you think I have time to help you with anything?"_

"_Why are you making this so difficult? Can you just hear me out for once in your life?"_

"_You called me, Em. I'll give you three minutes."_

"_I need help getting out of a rental agreement."_

"_Why?"_

"_It's a long story."_

_Harvey stood up from his chair as he continued to pack away his things. "It's always a long story."_

"_Is it necessary for you to talk down to me all the time?"_

"_Emilie, let me sum this up for you: to get out of a rental agreement, you need to find a sublet. Or ask your landlord to let you out of it for free. Or you may have to pay some sort of fee, it would have been listed in your agreement."_

"_Yeah well, I know all that. I can use Google."_

_Harvey let out a breath, followed by an irritated groan. "So why are you calling me?"_

"_Because I was hoping there would be another way. Clearly this phone call and even having a sister is a huge interruption to your life and -_

"_Why do you always do that? Why is it always a guilt trip and a 'poor Emilie' situation? Whatever mess you're in is not my goddamn fault."_

"_Jesus Christ, Harvey. Could you act like a human being instead of some piece of shit lawyer?"_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Harvey could hear his voice growing louder. He could just hang up. He didn't need to talk to her. In fact, he didn't owe his sister any of his time. _

"_I'm asking for help here and you're just shutting me down."_

"_You are demanding my help. I offered my advice. The problem here is there's no one handholding you through it or just doing it for you. You're a grown up now, Emilie, things aren't going to come to you on a silver platter anymore."_

"_God, you're an asshole."_

"_What do you want me to do? Give you money? Find you a new place to live?"_

"_Why do you think it's always about money? That's your one crutch, isn't it? Oh sure, I can be mad forever and hold that against my own family members because I'm rich. It's a classic Harvey alpha move and it's old news." She was yelling now. _

"_You called me, Emilie!" He was yelling back. _

"_Yeah, well, clearly that was a bad idea. Forget I said anything. I'll just figure it out on my own."_

"_Well, kid, I'm sure your daddy will help you out."_

"_What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Harvey?" She groaned angrily into the phone. "Why can't you just let that go?"_

_She wanted to hang up. But she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of winning their argument. _

"_I don't have to do shit, Emilie. Do you realize how easy your life was. You always got your way. And now, when someone tells you no, you just try to fight until it works out in your favour."_

"_Can you stop unloading your leftover trauma on me! I don't know what it's like up there on your high horse, Harvey, but I thought maybe you could just help me. Why is that so hard to understand?"_

"_Oh, I understand. And I told you everything you need to know. You're a big girl. Figure it out." His words were sharp and pointed. _

_Emilie took a deep breath. "I'm your sister, Harvey. Please."_

_Harvey could have hung up the phone already. But the last thing he was going to do is let her have the last word. _

"_Yeah, I don't need a reminder. I don't give a shit that you're my sister. Good luck."_

_Emilie screamed into her phone as he hung up. _

_She spent the next few minutes crafting scathing messages to her brother. Then she blocked and deleted him out of her phone. _

_She didn't need Harvey's help. She could do this on her own. Or at least that's what she told herself._

* * *

As Harvey stirred awake in his hospital bed, he was confused. Where was he? How did he end up in a hospital?

The events of the day washed over him as he reached up to rub his eyes. The trial. The verdict. Emilie running off. Collapsing in pain at the office. High fever. Inflamed appendix. Emergency surgery.

He pieced it all together quickly enough and was relieved to feel less pain in his side. Although, that may have been the painkillers. He scanned his eyes around the room. To his right, a window with a view and to his left, his sister sitting talking on the phone.

"Emilie."

"Oh mom, he's awake. I'll message you in a bit. Love you." Emilie put her phone down on the table and turned to her brother.

"How are you feeling, old man?" She smiled at him.

"One appendix lighter, apparently," he moved his hand down to his side.

"I'm going to get the nurse," she stood up and ducked out of the room quickly. Harvey glanced over to the window. It was dark. He wondered how long she had been waiting there.

Emilie returned with a nurse a few moments later who checked up on him. They were keeping him overnight just to monitor his vitals.

"Visiting hours are over in about 45 minutes," the nurse said to Emilie as she sat back down in her chair. She smiled as she walked away.

"Hey, are you okay?" Harvey turned his head towards Emilie.

"Harvey, you just had surgery. Please don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"You're not fine. I should have checked on you earlier instead of blowing up."

"You also should be regularly going to the doctor. Did you know that? Donna said you haven't been in years."

"That's not true. I went to the dentist last year."

"Yeah because you, a grown man in his forties, had a cavity. That doesn't count."

"A doctor would not have been able to predict my appendix bursting."

"Either way," Emilie shuffled her chair closer to his bed, "You're not going to live forever, Superman. You should capitalize on your health care if you can afford it."

He put his hands up in defeat. "Fine. You can skip the rest of this lecture."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry for running off earlier."

"You don't have to apologize." Harvey frowned. "if I had the energy I would have been fighting with Greg Wright all afternoon. That verdict was absolute bullshit. We're trying another angle."

Emilie had a hard time watching her brother talk. There he sat, draped in a drab hospital gown and wrapped in rough cotton blankets, worrying about the trial. Fixating on another solution. She knew this entire time he was having trouble relinquishing control. She didn't want him to worry anymore. Maybe they had to let it go.

"You don't have to. It's already been a waste of time."

"Emilie. We're going to. I don't care about the time spent."

"Well, let's just leave it alone for now. You need to actually rest, you know. Your body needs to heal."

Harvey couldn't help but smile at her kindness. He hated feeling helpless, and he didn't even want to think about all the actual work and client communication he was missing because of this medical emergency. But his sister was okay. At least for the time being, that was all he could ask for.

"You don't have to stay," Harvey continued, laying back on the bed.

"Oh, I know. Finn's shift ends in like half an hour so he's going to drive me home."

Harvey sighed, closing his eyes, "And he is only dropping you off."

"Come on, I've had a long day. Plus, the trial is over. So I think he's earned the opportunity to at least watch a movie with me tonight."

"Okay, he can go up stairs but he is not staying over."

"It's cute how you think you can do anything about that from this hospital room."

By the time Emilie left his room, Harvey had fallen asleep. She met Finn outside the hospital where he was waiting with not only a bundle of flowers, but also a pint of ice cream. To say it warmed Emilie's heart was an understatement.

He did come all the way back to Harvey's apartment with her. They split the pint of ice cream on the couch, then retired to Emilie's bed. They just laid there fully clothed, still. She rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I know you don't want to talk about it," he said quietly, slowly running his fingers along the exposed skin on her lower back as her shirt rode up.

"You're right," she replied. It was strange to have someone care about her. It made her feel uneasy. It was something new for her to balance - how far does she let someone in. How long until it was too much and maybe they didn't want to deal with it?

"But I'm going to ask anyway. Are you okay? I know it's been a messy day."

Finn's concern seemed genuine.

She sighed. "No. I'm not. I mainly don't understand why we had to go through all the motions just to reach the weakest conclusion." She squeezed her eyes shut. "All this time, something felt wrong. And with that verdict, nothing feels better. That gross feeling in the pit of my stomach remains."

"It sucks, Em. I see this kind of stuff all the time in this line of work. A poor system causes dirtbags to get away with their actions."

"How do you do it? Doesn't it drive you crazy?"

Finn hesitated. "It does. I do my very best to separate my personal life and my work life. It's the only way to make it through."

"Well, I definitely caused those two things to overlap."

"Yeah. A happy consequence of this trial." He leaned down to brush his lips against hers.

"Wait. Finn." She pulled away from him, propping herself up off his chest. "Who's taking care of Pippin?"

He couldn't help but laugh at her concern. "My brother took him for a walk tonight and will feed him in the morning. He's okay."

"Good. Because you're staying over."

"Oh, am I now?" He pulled her back down towards him, his lips colliding with hers again.

She shifted her position to straddle on top of him, leaning down to continue attacking his lips. "Yes, please. Because if I'm going to lose sleep tonight, it may as well be for a good reason."

* * *

Harvey came home from the hospital Saturday afternoon. He slept for most of the day.

When he finally woke up Saturday evening, his senses were overwhelmed. He could hear his sister singing in the kitchen and something smelled incredible. He had barely gotten to eat at the hospital and when he did, despite paying for a private room at a top research hospital, the food was terrible.

He climbed out of bed and shuffled his way into the kitchen area. There stood his sister, standing over the stove stirring something. His kitchen was a complete mess but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Okay, I don't want to get my hopes up, but are you making chicken and dumplings?"

Emilie turned around when she heard her brother's voice. "Scent memory. Does this also take you back to a specific childhood flashback?"

Harvey just nodded. "Do you need help?"

"No, I just need you to go sit down and rest. That's literally your only job for the next few days. Taking it easy and letting your body heal itself." Emilie pointed towards the couch. Harvey just shook his head and took a seat at the kitchen island instead. "Also, do you know how hard it was to cook this in your kitchen? You barely even have a spice rack. The guy at the corner store knows me by name now. Mom only ever made chicken and dumplings on the rare Sunday and I can see why. This was way more work than I thought it would be. So, if it's not good you better lie to me." Emilie placed a dish down in front of her brother. "Do you want some tea?"

"Wow. Can you let me get a word in here?" Harvey raised his eyebrows at his sister. "This is great, Em. But you know mom used to use Bisquick and not make these from scratch."

Emilie looked at her brother, eyes wide, "What? You're kidding. How did I never realize that?"

Harvey just laughed as he took a bite and tilted his head. "This is still good."

Emilie slid into the stool beside him with her own bowl and took a few bites. "I also grabbed mint chocolate chip ice cream for you."

"Thanks. For doing this."

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Listen, Em, I know it's been a crazy 48 hours and you don't want to talk about yesterday -

_No, no, no, no. Not now. Not ever._

"So we're not going to." She cut him off. "You are supposed to be resting which means no work or legal garbage for at least another day."

Harvey rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Oh, also, Louis sent you a gift basket." Emilie motioned to the table in the corner. "The card said 'Congratulations on the laparoscopy. Can't wait to hear all about it! Love Louis.'" She pointed to to the of the kitchen.

Harvey couldn't help but laugh. "Well, that should go on the fridge."

* * *

Emilie went to work Sunday morning with a smile on her face. After dinner, she and Harvey watched Back to the Future and argued at length about time travel theories. It was just nice. They both shut the world off for one night and enjoyed each other's company.

It was probably the first time they had ever done that.

Harvey tried to talk to her about the trial again but she shut him down.

She didn't want to talk about it. So she was going to delay it as long as possible.

She couldn't fathom saying the words out loud: that she was still scared. That she was disappointed. That she wasn't surprised it didn't go in her favour.

Over and over again in her brain she thought about her landlord. Running into him in the hallway after the trial. His disgusting smile. The way he said her name. She wanted to shake the whole thing but the minute she was alone with her thoughts, no person or recipe or school project to distract her, she felt like crumbling.

And that day at work didn't make things any better.

Emilie was still on duty running the cash register at the cafe. She was slated to finally get her cast off that week and she was looking forward to doing other tasks. She went through the motions as she took orders and wrote on cups. She nearly dropped a tray of muffins when she saw the next person in line at her till.

Her landlord.

"What are you doing here?" She said quietly as he approached.

"I'm getting a coffee, what else would I be doing in a coffee shop, Emilie?"

She hated how he said her name.

"And before you say anything else, there is nothing your lawyer brother can do. You've made my life a hassle for the last two months so maybe it's time for you to feel just as bothered."

Emilie swallowed hard, glancing around to see if any of her coworkers were nearby. She leaned forward to respond to him.

"And your police officer boyfriend can't help either."

She pulled back. How did he know she had any sort of relationship with Finn? Why was it everything he said sounded like some sort of threat?

"So, I'll have a hot cappuccino. And a cinnamon bun. On a plate, so I can sit right over there."

Emilie spent the rest of her shift trying to calm her nerves. She was angry, more than anything else, that he would come into her space and even talk to her. But within that anger, there were cracks of concern.

She knew she should tell Harvey. She just didn't want to bother him with any more trial stuff until he bounced back from the surgery. He had done so much for her and she knew he was angry. But he also had a life - he had his own job and cases and a dating life and soon enough, they would broach the topic of Emilie moving out.

She knew she should tell Finn, too. Their nights together had been so nice and so comforting. But the last thing Emilie wanted to do was sour things, especially by jeopardizing his job. He was also on night shifts all week. Finn had told her his biggest problem he ran into with dating anyone was dealing with his work schedule. They may go weeks without seeing each other if he had to work a lot of overtime. And Emilie knew his job was stressful enough without worrying about her, too.

Emilie spent a long time being the centre of attention in her family - when she wanted it and when she definitely didn't. So now, it was easier to control herself. Maybe she could just adjust her work schedule. Maybe she could just work in the back, instead. Maybe she should just not work at the cafe anymore. Maybe Jason Moore would just give up on his uncomfortable revenge and leave her alone.

She took the long way home after her shift. She stopped at a nearby bodega a few blocks away and did something she hadn't done in years - she bought a pack of cigarettes. It was a gentle form of destruction. She didn't even smoke one, she just tucked them into her purse and continued on.

There was something satisfying about controlling her own self destruction.

She was surprised to run into Donna in the lobby of Harvey's building. She was heading upstairs with a bag of thai food.

"Hey Donna," Emilie started, applying a smile on her face.

"I usually don't give in to your whining brother but I figured this way we know he's actually eating."

Emilie just laughed and pressed the button in the elevator, "Uhm, did he not tell you I made dinner from scratch last night?"

Donna furrowed her brow then smirked, "He didn't mention it. Just that he was starving."

"Well, a return in appetite is a good sign but I hope you didn't go out of your way for him. That big baby." Emilie just sighed. "But you should stay and eat with us, at least. Since you came all the way here."

"I never like to miss an opportunity to see your brother in his pajamas." They walked out of the elevator and headed towards Harvey's door. "That sounded weird. I just mean, it's a friendly reminder that he's human."

Emilie laughed at her response. They headed into the apartment where they found Harvey laying on the couch, catching up on Survivor.

"Harvey, I hope you give Donna a generous Christmas bonus because she's too good to you," Emilie announced to her brother. He shifted to sit up on the couch and rolled his eyes.

He ignored her quip. "How was work?"

Emilie hesitated for a moment. She glanced from her brother to Donna, who was unpacking food on the counter. It was a nice moment.

She didn't want to ruin it.

_My old landlord showed up to intimidate me. It was frightening and I'm not sure what to do. _

_Help me, please. _

She smiled at her brother and shrugged. "Work was fine. Nothing special."

* * *

_A/N: two things! I misnamed her landlord in the last chapter. It's Jason Moore. Not super important but for my own continuity haha also I decided on a faceclaim for Finn, if anyone cares. Brant Daughtery. Something like that tall drink of water. I wanted to paint Harvey and Emilie's last big fight, before she lost her old apartment, as pointed. Not just screaming siblings, but an entitled bratty sister and her hard headstrong brother. They;ve come so far, and I hate for them to screw it up now. But can Emilie deal with this or bottle it in until she explodes? And will harvey balance taking care of himself, his work life, and his sister? I sense a storm brewing._

_Thank you to my last reviewers: cicia724, Rose4Darvey, Andelin and Guest. I appreciate your words and support. And to each and every one of you readers! You power me along and I am grateful._

_Ya'll, I finally finished season eight. Season nine isn't on netflix yet in Canada and I am dying to watch it. DYING. I've already been significantly spoiled but I just waaaaant it all._


	11. Bad Idea

Harvey was prepared to go back to work Monday morning but Donna cleared his entire calendar to ensure he would stay home. She reminded him sick days exist for a reason and he may as well capitalize on sleeping. He hated how she was right all the time but he appreciated her even more for it.

He did get an unexpected visitor late Monday afternoon - Jessica Pearson.

He was sitting in his armchair reading when he heard a knock. He was dressed in just sweatpants and a cardigan when he opened the door to see his boss standing in front of him.

"Jessica, hi," he couldn't hide the confused look on his face as he welcomed her in. "To what do I owe this visit? You really that worried about me?"

Jessica smiled and rolled her eyes as she put down her purse on the island. "Considering you've been responding to emails all day, I know there is no need to worry - you've clearly bounced back to your sprightly self quickly."

"I don't think I've ever been described as sprightly." He motioned for her to sit as he returned to his armchair. She sat stiffly on the couch. "And I know you don't just drop in and do house calls. So what is it that you need to tell me so desperately that you can't have a paper trail for."

Jessica let out a breath, then relaxed to lean back on the couch. "You know - I don't always have an agenda."

"I also know you're not here to check in on my health."

"Well, first, I heard what happened on Friday. How's Emilie doing?"

It was Harvey's turn to sigh.

"In her words she's fine but I honestly couldn't tell you. She just won't talk about it. At least, not with me. We're trying to keep digging up whatever we can about her landlord but it might be for nothing."

"She might just need more time to digest everything."

Harvey just shrugged. "That could be it. I don't know. She used to have a tendency to derail when things got difficult but she's been okay so far."

"You're handling this well, considering the circumstances. But remember: some things might be beyond what The Great Harvey Specter can take on himself."

He just nodded.

"Now, business. You'll never guess who was in my office first thing this morning. Timothy Hazen."

Harvey leaned forward in his chair. Timothy Hazen was one of the partners at Hazen & Sawyer. Their engineering firm was one of Pearson Specter Lott's biggest clients - and it was Harvey's smart mouth that lost them this past February.

"You're kidding."

"It sounds like they're looking to merge with Tectonic but they need some help getting to the table again. The firm they went to after they left us really screwed up."

"Well, that's not a shock, is it?"

Jessica laughed and shook her head. "No. Their board meets on Friday. So, we need all hands on deck to help make this as seamless as possible."

"What's the catch here, Jessica? We both know everything we've talked about so far could have been summed up in an email." He looked over at her.

Jessica pursed her lips for a moment. "They're pushing Sawyer out early. His plan is to retire in a few years but the board wants to trim the fat. It's the only way for their big shareholders to agree to the purchase."

Harvey nodded. "And he has no idea this is going on."

"Exactly. But, you've handled worse."

"That's true." Harvey's brain started to race as he thought about the week ahead.

"Oh, and Harvey, Timothy wants an apology. From you. Directly. So, you're going to his office tomorrow to do just that."

Before Harvey could protest, they were both interrupted by Emilie walking in the door. She was wearing her headphones and had her eyes turned down looking at her phone. Harvey was still asleep when she had left for class that morning.

He looked over at her as she paused in the kitchen, finally pulling her headphones out and realizing Harvey was there and he had company.

"Oh, hi, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." She smiled politely at Jessica.

"How did your midterm go?" Harvey skipped over the pleasantries with his sister and watched as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Something seemed off about her.

Emilie just sighed. "It went. I'm sure I passed but there was some creative storytelling involved. You know what they say, Cs get degrees. It's nice to see you, Ms. Pearson." She then headed off to her room before Harvey could say anything else, closing the door behind her.

He just sighed again and looked over at Jessica, who had a small smirk on her face. She stood up and headed towards the door. "I will leave you to deal with that. And Harvey? Work on your apology face."

* * *

"So, what do you think?"

Emilie was sitting in the waiting room Wednesday afternoon waiting to have her cast removed. Finn has graciously agreed to join her, since he didn't work until later that night.

She was showing him a photo of her Halloween costume on her phone. The holiday was coming up on Friday and Emilie and her friends were planning a group costume for the night - Disney princesses. She was going as Ariel.

"Just picture it with a terrible red wig."

Finn looked down at the mirror picture she has taken and smiled. "I mean, it fits you really well. I would tell you it's too revealing but I feel like you won't care about that." The costume was just a tight, shimmering purple tank top and tight green leggings.

She couldn't help but smile. "I appreciate your feedback."

"What are you doing for Halloween again?"

"I think we're just going to someone's place for a party. I just follow my friends, usually."

"Well, since I'll be out rounding up the drunk and disorderly all night Friday in the 6th precinct, I hope we don't cross paths."

Emilie just smirked at him, leaning into his side as he extended his arm over her shoulders. "I have no plans to get disorderly."

After getting her cast off, another X-ray determined her wrist had healed appropriately. Her doctor recommended a physical therapist to help build some strength to prevent further injuries but she was otherwise free to go.

They went back to Finn's afterwards to continue their marathon of the Lord of the Rings movies. At least, that was their intention.

Emilie found Finn irresistible. And charming. And kind. Sure, their schedules didn't sync up perfectly but it was nice they were both managing to find time to spend together.

The fact that his sex drive seemed to match hers definitely didn't hurt either.

Before they put the movie on, Finn was trying to cook something for dinner. Although Emilie was doing her best to distract him. She was perched on top of the counter and continuously pulled him back towards her to make out.

"You know we should eat, you said you didn't have breakfast," Finn pulled his face away, leaving his hands wrapped around her back.

"I had a bite of your croissant at the hospital, it has held me over." She pulled him back towards her and started kissing his neck. She heard him let out a barely audible moan and she smiled.

"Okay, let's make a deal," he continued to talk as she kissed his neck and collarbone. "Let's go do this." He grabbed onto her and lifted her off the counter. She wrapped her legs tightly around him, yelping as he carried her over to the couch. "But after you're eating dinner with me. Because I'm starving." He laid her down on her back and reached down to tear off his shirt.

She gave him an eager smile. "If you're really hungry…" She raised an eyebrow at him and started to undo her jeans.

"Good lord, Emilie Bryant. You're going to be the death of me."

Emilie got home around ten that evening, shortly after receiving an annoying text from Harvey about where she was.

She hadn't been actively avoiding her brother but taking a few days off work lead him to even longer hours at the office. She was in bed before he came home Tuesday and he left before her that morning.

Emilie thought it was unreasonable for him to go back to work so quickly but who was she to argue with him. Yes, it was a minor surgery, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

When she walked into the apartment, he was standing in the kitchen with a glass of scotch in his hand, looking at his phone.

"Hey," she said to him as she crossed over to her bedroom.

"Hey, wait a second. Come here."

Emilie sighed and turned around, standing on the opposite side of the island from her brother. "What's up?"

"How's your wrist?"

Emilie extended it out to him. "All clear. The x-ray showed it healed fully but I've just gotta be careful for a while."

Harvey nodded at her. "Okay, now that that's out of the way. Care to explain this pack of cigarettes I found on the floor when I got home? Because they sure as hell aren't mine." He reached into his pocket and tossed the small box on the island between them.

Emilie scrunched up her face for a moment then sighed. She had noticed them missing from her pocket earlier that day but figured she had dropped them on the subway. Truthfully, she had hardly even smoked one yet. She opened them and lit one, but she couldn't bear committing.

Harvey tucked his phone into his pocket and pointed at her, "You're better than this, Emilie."

"Oh my god, Mr. Holier Than Thou. I barely even smoked one of those. It was an impulsive decision."

He rolled his eyes and tried not to raise his voice, "Well, it was a stupid decision."

She just shrugged at him. "Is that all you wanted to yell at me about?"

Harvey sighed. He didn't want to fight with her. He could tell something was going on and the last thing he wanted to do was push her any further away.

"I didn't yell. I just..spoke passionately."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure."

"Em, we still haven't talked about the trial."

"Yeah, well, have you considered I don't want to talk about it?" She let out a frustrated groan, crossing her arms over her chest. "He got away with what he did. It doesn't matter how I feel. I get to deal with the repercussions. What is talking about it going to do?"

She still hadn't told Harvey or Finn about her landlord visiting the cafe. He had come back Tuesday afternoon at the end of her shift, too. She escaped through the backdoor to avoid him when she left.

"You and I both know you have a history of bottling shit up. So, you need to talk about it if you're upset. You can't just let it manifest into something else."

"Please do not lecture me about bottling things up, Harvey. Because that would make you, of all people, a hypocrite." She turned on her heel and headed towards her room.

"Emilie. Don't walk away from me!"

She paused when she got to her door and turned around, "I have a midterm tomorrow. So it's either I study or fight with you. I'm choosing to study. Goodnight, Harvey." She stormed into her room and slammed the door.

Emilie fell onto her bed. She could hear Harvey grumbling around in the kitchen. She grabbed her laptop to open her class notes but she could barely focus.

She did her best to feign interest in her classes lately but she was struggling. All week, she could only think about what was going to happen next. What's next with her landlord? Will he stop coming into the cafe? Will be approach her outside? Will be follow her home? Will he show up at NYU?

She couldn't control his actions and it made her incredibly anxious. She wanted to just let it go. He wasn't harming her physically but it was wreaking havoc on her mental state. Finn had been a wonderful distraction but it was when she tried to fall asleep that her rambunctious thoughts dialed up.

She just needed to get through the next two days. Then, Halloween night she could drink her troubles away. It was the only other thing getting her through the days.

* * *

Working on the merger for Timothy Hazen was a welcome distraction for Harvey. Despite having to swallow his pride and apologize to the man, they were en route to a fairly smooth legal plan to move out his business partner and purchase stock in the new company.

Mike was assisting him with all the details. Or he was supposed to be.

"Do you review that financial history report from Tectonic yet?" Harvey stepped into Mike's office, a calm look on his face.

"Just in the middle of it. Well, I took a small break to-

"Mike, what did I say? That shit for Louis can wait. You're my associate and this is where all your time should be billed today."

"I know, I know. But Harvey, come on, you know I can sweep through these financials in minutes. And I'm not working on Louis' stuff." Mike looked up from his screen and glanced at Harvey. His calm face had turned into a rigid frown.

"Here." Mike grabbed a file and extended it to Harvey to look at. "I traced some info about Jason Moore."

Harvey sighed and glanced down at the folder as Mike continued.

"Finn helped me through some dead ends. Now, Jason Moore's brother runs a contracting company in New Jersey. Both his registered business name for his landlord business, Crowne Investments, and the contracting company, Royale Contracting, are owned by the same umbrella corporation. I'm waiting to find out the registered business name but I think that company footed his legal bills."

"Listen." Harvey tossed the folder back down on the desk. "I don't have time for this today. And neither do you. In fact, I don't want you even touching this again until I say so."

"But Emil-

Harvey took a step forward. "Mike. Drop it."

As much as Harvey wanted to prioritize his sister's case, even thinking about it and her attitude the night before was pissing him off. This merger was a big deal and an important client for the firm to regain and it needed to be front and center for both himself and his associate.

"And don't waste any more of Finn's time, either. Emilie is not in any place to help this situation anymore so we're leaving it alone."

"Her landlord deserves to pay for his, Harvey. I think we're close to-

Harvey leaned down and furrowed his brow at Mike, "You better have a report on those financials to me in the next half hour." He stood back up. "And I don't want to hear anything else about Emilie's trial. Do not push me on this, Mike."

* * *

Emilie barely made it to work on time Friday. Luckily Harvey was banging on her door when she slept through her alarm and she rushed out of the apartment without having to talk to him.

Ethan had reduced his hours at the cafe so luckily Emilie didn't have to work Fridays with him anymore. They still hadn't spoken since that day at his apartment.

Thankfully, without her cast she could work in the back again and avoid the public. She spent the morning in the back baking pastries and working on some prep for the weekend.

Jackie stuck her head through the door mid-morning and called to her, "Em, some man in a suit is asking about you."

"Can you just send him back here?" Jackie nodded and went back to the front.

Emilie wiped her hands off on her apron and sighed. Was it not enough for Harvey to bother her at home that he also had to seek her out at the cafe?

She was surprised when Mike Ross came through the Staff Only door instead.

"Mike, hey," she leaned against the large table in the back and smiled at him. "What brings you here?"

"Harvey's out of the office all morning working through this merger with the client so Donna and I decided we deserved a reward for dealing with your brother all week."

"It sounds like you need a beer, not a coffee," Emilie responded, a smirk on her face.

"That'll happen tonight, if the vote goes through and Harvey is in a good mood."

Emilie rolled her eyes.

Mike crossed his arms. "How are you?"

There was something about how Mike looked at her that made Emilie feel comfortable. Like he was genuine in his ask and he really cared about how she was doing. She wasn't used to it. Maybe he had yet to be hardened by his job as a lawyer but when he talked to her, it seemed a lot softer than how Harvey acted.

"Honestly, I don't know how I am. I think I'm mad. I'm frustrated. I'm tired all the time. I'm constantly irritated by my brother. I want to fast forward six months and graduate and move away." She shrugged at him.

"I don't have any advice for you, Emilie. It sucks. And I wish we could do more to help. Hopefully it'll get easier over time. If you ever need to talk or just get together to complain about Harvey, you can call me anytime."

Emilie nodded then smiled at him. "Thanks Mike. I really appreciate it." She sighed. "I have to admit the biggest struggle I have with Harvey is we both like getting the last word in. It's gotten really out of hand before and I just don't want that to happen again. Maybe he doesn't either. It's easier to keep our distance instead."

"I get it. You know he's a big softie deep down though." Mike smirked at her.

"I know." She paused and turned around. "Here. Take these back to the office with you." She handed him a box of cookies. "Maybe it'll help him take the edge off today."

Mike took the box from her and headed back out to the front where his drinks were waiting. He smiled at the barista and headed out the door. He nearly ran into someone coming into the cafe and pulled back.

"Sorry." The other person grumbled out. Mike met his eyes for a quick moment before he went further into the cafe. He could have sworn he recognized the guy.

No. It couldn't have been who he thought it was. He shook his head, balancing the tray of drinks and the box of cookies in one arm to hail a cab.

Harvey still wasn't back when Mike returned to the office. He left the cookies with Donna then headed back to his office.

He kept thinking about that man he ran into. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was…

He grabbed his phone and called Finn. It went to his voicemail.

"Hey Finn, it's Mike Ross. Something weird happened today and I'm wondering if Emilie has mentioned anything about her landlord to you. I think I ran into him going into the cafe. Call me when you have a minute."

* * *

Emilie rushed home when she was done work and had a power nap. She coordinated with Leah and headed to her place to get ready - mainly because Emilie wanted to avoid being accosted by her brother about anything.

Although, she hoped he enjoyed the cookies.

Leah, who was dressing up as Snow White, had prepared snacks and drinks for their small group of friends. Emilie got dressed and tacked on her wig, then started on her bottle of vodka.

They were comfortably intoxicated when they left Leah's apartment. They walked a few blocks to the grad student apartments where a Halloween party was in full swing. Emilie and Leah had vowed to stay at each other's side for the night but it wasn't long until Leah disappeared.

Emilie sighed and made herself a drink and wandered through the party. She honestly wasn't feeling it that night. She was tired and frustrated but at least she could get drunk.

"Oh my god, Emilie."

Emilie turned around when she heard her name from a familiar voice. There she stood, face to face, with her old roommate and friend Cassie.

They hadn't talked since Cassie moved out of their apartment in February. And seeing her in person make Emilie miss her friend immensely. But soon enough, anger took over. Cassie was part of the reason Emilie's life was such a mess. She did her best to remain calm.

She poured the rest of her drink in her mouth quickly.

"Cassie, hey," Emilie plastered on a fake smile. "How are you?"

"Great! It's so nice to see you." Suddenly Cassie was pulling her into a hug.

"Really? Because, if you recall, the last time we talked you were not happy."

"Listen, we need to let that shit go. I've been meaning to reach out to you for weeks."

"Are you still with Jordan?" Emilie looked into her friend's eyes. The two had been friends since high school and it still hurt Emilie to know she had believed her boyfriend over her.

"Yeah. He's downstairs getting high probably. He's dressed as Batman." Cassie paused to show off her Wonder Woman costume. "I'm sorry you know. He told me the truth. I know you didn't do shit with him."

"Then why ice me out, Cass?"

"Because love is complicated, Em! Just let it go. C'mon. Let's do a shot. God, I've missed you. How have things been?"

Emilie wasn't on board with making amends and repairing their damaged friendship so quickly. And she certainly was not about to fill Cassie in on her messy life situation. But she was okay with getting more drunk.

About an hour later, Emilie found herself sitting outside on the steps of the building getting some fresh air. She was texting with Finn a bit. He was having a busy night patrolling and dealing with intoxicated people. Leah was standing with her, going on and on about some cute guy she saw upstairs. Suddenly, more people headed outside.

"See, there she is!" It was Cassie again, this time with her group of friends including Jordan. The streets were busy with costumed crowds of people and Emilie considering flagging down a cab and heading home. She did not want to talk to Cassie anymore, or her piece of shit boyfriend.

But she was too drunk to have a filter.

"What's up, Em? It's been a while." Jordan smirked at her.

"Wish it had been longer." She replied smoothly, rolling her eyes and turning to Leah. "C'mon, let's go find your mystery man."

Cassie and some girls had wandered down the street. Only Jordan had lingered to talk to them.

"Always such a feisty attitude, Em. Nice costume, by the way." Jordan responded to her, rolling his eyes. "I'm not surprised you picked the mermaid. I know how much you like getting wet. Especially in showers."

Emilie stood up and looked at him. He was a big guy, built like an overweight football player. She was standing on the middle step and just made eye contact with him. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Em, c'mon, let's just go." Leah grabbed her hand but Emilie pulled away.

Jordan just laughed and grabbed his phone from his pocket. He looked back towards where his girlfriend was standing then back to Emilie. He put his phone away.

"I can't do this here or Cassie will get pissed. Just know that there's a lot of interesting videos on the internet, Emilie." He winked at her then smirked.

In that very moment, Emilie wasn't sure what came over her. Maybe talking to Cassie unlocked some buried feelings. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was Emilie's own pent up frustrations. But something inside her told her to leap. So she did just that.

As Jordan turned and walked away, Emilie screamed and jumped onto his back, doing her best to tackle him to the ground.

"What the fuck?!"

Cassie ran up to them. "Oh my god Emilie, stop!"

Jordan stumbled as she pulled down on him. He turned around to throw her off and she hit the ground.

"Ever the little psycho, Emilie," Jordan yelled at her, trying to smooth out his costume.

She stood up and lunged at him again. "You're too fat to be Batman, you asshole."

He held his arms out to put space between them, but that didn't stop Emilie from continuing to try and hit him.

Emilie could hear Leah calling for her. "Em! Stop. There's cops coming."

She didn't stop.

"What's going on here?"

* * *

Emilie had never been inside a police car before, let alone a precinct.

She was sitting in the holding area with a handful of other drunk, costumed people. There was a man in the corner slumped over, one girl pacing around, two guys leaning against each other, another man yelling out the door.

Emilie sat quietly in the corner, staring down at her hands. They were both starting to bruise, lined with a few cuts from hitting the pavement. She couldn't believe what she had done, she didn't know what had come over her. It wasn't reasonable or fair to attack Jordan but out of principal, he was someone to blame for the mess that was her life. And that comment he made about videos on the Internet was not sitting well with her.

She knew she should have controlled herself better.

"Bryant!" Emilie raised her head when she heard her last name. There was an officer opening the door and motioning for her. She stood up and ran her hand through her hair - she had no idea where her wig was - and walked to the door. The officer lead her through the bustling desks of the precinct and left her sitting in a room with a mirrored wall. Another first for her.

She felt like absolute shit. She wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or the impending doom of dealing with what was going on.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Finn walked in. Emilie wasn't sure if she was relieved or embarrassed to see him.

"I thought you told me you had no plans to get disorderly, Em," he said with a frown on his face as he walked in and sat across from her.

"I didn't plan this!" She tried to defend herself, pointing at him. "It just happened."

"Well, lucky for you - I know the officer who brought you in and we're going to drop the arrest charge."

She looked at him with grateful eyes. "Thank you. Honestly, Finn, I have no idea what came over me. I just had all this-" She paused and motioned her arms around her head, "anger come to the surface and before I even realized what I was doing I was on top of the guy. I just…"

"Emilie, you know it's okay to not be okay. I've been trying to check in with you all week and you just push away talking about anything real. You have to process what happened."

She squeezed her eyes shut and laid it down over her arms on the table. She immediately regretted it. She still felt pretty drunk.

Finn placed his phone down on the table. "Now, you get to decide who calls your brother: me or you."

"What?" She shot her head up, then froze. That was a bad idea. She took a deep breath. "Finn. I can't. He'll be so mad. I can't. Please. We can't call him."

"Emilie, I'm not letting them keep you in the drunk tank. You're better off at home."

"Finn, please. I can't. I'll just take the subway."

"Can you even tell me what subway you need to take home right now?"

She paused and looked up trying to think. "Maybe the 1 or the F..."

"Call." He slid his phone across the table to her.

She slid it back. "No."

"Then I'm going to."

"Finn! Please." She paused to think. "Call Mike instead! Please. He'll come escort me home. Safely! Pleeeease Finn."

She watched Finn think for a moment. He glanced down at his watch, then to Emilie, then to the phone. He sighed and picked it up.

* * *

Harvey and Mike were out celebrating with Timothy Hazen and some of his board members. Everything had come swimmingly afterall, even pushing out one of their business partners.

It was late in the evening and things seemed to be slowing down. Harvey was deep in conversation with Timothy when Mike slipped outside the bar to take a phone call from Finn.

"Mike, hey, sorry to call you so late," Finn started.

"What's going on? Did you get my voicemail earlier?" Mike glanced around as he stood outside, smiling as he saw piles of costumed people walking by. It wasn't the strangest occurrence to see in New York on a weekend, but it reminded him that it was in fact Halloween.

"I didn't even check it man, sorry, it's been a wild day. You're not with Harvey, are you?"

"Well, not this very moment. We're out at the same bar celebrating with a client."

"I have a very intoxicated Emilie sitting across from me at the precinct."

Mike raised his eyebrows, "You're kidding."

"Yeah, she got arrested for trying to fight with someone downtown."

Mike could hear Emilie groaning in the background. "He started it!"

"Shit. Okay. What do you need from me?"

"She's insisting I can't call Harvey. Any chance you can come down here and help her get home? I would just take her home but we're short staffed and it's a madhouse."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in a bit."

Mike went back inside and thought about what his next steps were. He faked a yawn as he got back to the table.

"I think I'm going to have to call it a night," Mike said to Harvey, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks for all your help this week." Harvey tipped his glass to Mike as he grabbed his coat.

"Well, thanks for picking up the bill." Mike smirked at him. "You staying?"

"Well, someone promised me a cigar and a story about his old friend Larry Bird," Harvey replied, pointing to Timothy across the table. Mike walked away as the men continued to laugh. Once he made it outside, he hopped in a cab and headed to the police station.

After signing in and waiting at the front intake desk, Finn walked up with Emilie. Mike had to admit the sight of her was funny at first - she was holding her shoes in her hand, and her leftover wig. She dropped down on a chair to put her shoes on as Finn talked with Mike.

"She's on her way to a bad hangover. She should probably also ice her hand when she gets home."

Mike glanced over at Emilie as she sat up, looking at her bruised fists. "Yeah, can't wait to hear how you explain that to Harvey."

"Would it be too much to take a selfie to commemorate this moment?" Emilie looked between the two. They both shook their head.

"Bad idea. C'mon, let's go." Mike extended his hand to her to help her up. "I'll text you when I get her home, Finn."

After waiting outside for a cab, they finally were on the road. Mike gave Harvey's address to the driver but Emilie stopped him. "Mike, Harvey just texted that he's on his way home. What if we pull up at the same time as Ray?"

"Shit." Mike looked over at her and sighed. "Okay, you can crash on my couch."

Emilie did just that - crash. The minute she walked into Mike's small apartment she found the couch and proceeded to collapse onto it. Mike barely had time to find her a blanket before she fell asleep.

When she woke up Saturday morning, it took her a few minutes to realize where she was. She groaned to herself as she sat up on the couch.

"I was starting to worry you might be dead."

Emilie turned her head around to see Mike sitting near the window with a coffee mug in his hand. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. It was strange to see him in normal clothes.

"Has anyone ever died from a hangover?" Emilie squeezed her eyes shut and leaned back onto the couch. Mike just laughed at her.

"Thanks. By the way." She glanced over at him, her voice small. "For picking me up and letting me crash here."

He waved his hand, "It's no problem. But you better figure out how you're gonna tell Harvey."

Emilie stood up slowly and shook her head. "Yeah, funny. That's not happening."

"Emilie," Mike stood up. "He's going to find out somehow. You know how he is. You're better off being honest about it up front. I can't be complicit in this with you."

"It's not a big deal. There's no record of it since they dropped the charges."

"If it's not a big deal, then you should be able to tell him."

Emilie just sighed.

Mike smirked at her, "You know I'm right."

"Thanks again, Mike. I guess I'll just face the music when I get home."

When Emilie got home Saturday, even though she was incredibly hungover, Harvey was in a surprisingly good mood. She found him in the kitchen cooking breakfast, even.

She couldn't bear telling him what happened during her eventful night. She didn't want to ruin his mood, considering how stressful his week had been with her trial, his surgery and the big merger. He even suggested hosting Thanksgiving dinner - since it sounded like Katie and Marcus wanted to bring the kids up that weekend.

She spent the rest of her weekend lounging around the apartment, trying to work on school assignments. It wasn't until Sunday that everything went off the rails.

When Emilie got home from work Sunday afternoon, Harvey was sitting on the couch on a phone call.

She waved at him as she walked towards her room to change. When she came back out, Harvey was standing and glowering at her, phone still to his ear.

"What do you mean she didn't tell me? Hold on." He pulled his phone away from his ear. "Emilie, can you explain to me why Mike Ross is asking if I went easy on you when I found out? Found out about what?"

Emilie froze up and her eyes went wide. "Uh, it's a long story."

Harvey locked his eyes with hers and brought his phone back to his ear. "Mike, I'll call you back."

Harvey looked over at Emilie and she stared back at him. It was a standoff.

"Emilie. This will be a lot easier for both of us if you just tell me what's going on."

She tilted her head like she was contemplating then sighed. "Okay. Fine. I kind of got temporarily arrested on Friday night…" Her voice was barely audible as she trailed off.

"ARRESTED?"

* * *

_A/N: ooooh shit. Emilie Lillian Bryant, arrested? Harvey may be at the end of his rope soon but it seems like Mike Ross cares for his new little sister figure. I think there is a storm coming here. there are a lot of tiny little things that just aren't adding up with this landlord and trial, but who knows if Emilie is going to let us get there. also, dang Emilie, I think we need to learn to let some things go. Poor girl. Finn is a nice anchor, if he can handle her._

_thank youuuu to everyone who read last chapter, and thank you to LilSparrow7, Andelin, Rose4Darvey and cicia724 for reviewing. I am honestly so grateful and appreciative of the feedback._


	12. Fighting Fire

"Emilie. This will be a lot easier for both of us if you just tell me what's going on."

She tilted her head like she was contemplating then sighed. "Okay. Fine. I kind of got temporarily arrested on Friday night…" Her voice was barely audible as she trailed off.

"ARRESTED?"

Emilie sighed and waved her arms towards him. "Harvey, it's not as bad as it sounds. They dropped the charge then Mike signed me out and I crashed on his couch."

She could tell Harvey was mad. His eyes were wide and he kept opening his mouth to reply to her but no words came out.

"Fuck, Emilie. I don't even know what I'm more mad about right now. The fact that you even got arrested or that you and Mike hid it from me."

"It's not Mike's fault!" Emilie let out a frustrated groan. "Can you give me five minutes to explain?"

He just shrugged dramatically and headed to his bar cart. "Fine."

"I was at this party and-

"Were you drinking?"

She took a short breath and tried to remain calm even though he had cut her off. "Yes. So, I ran into Cassie and it was uncomfortable. And we were outside afterwards and her boyfriend was saying all this shit to me and -

"Was he harassing you?"

"No, just being a generic asshole. And honestly Harvey I don't know what came over me, I just jumped on him. It's like this other part of my brain took over and, well. Finn knew the arresting officer and they let the whole thing go and if it helps at all, my time in holding was terrible."

Harvey just rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his scotch. "No, that doesn't help, Emilie. You were drunk, attacked someone for no reason and you think this whole thing just goes away because there's no record of your arrest? What if they guy tries to sue you for attacking him?"

"Trust me, he won't."

"I just can't believe how you've been acting lately. You've been so vocal about how you're an adult and grown up and you're acting like a goddamn child!" Harvey finished off the rest of his drink quickly. "Have you considered how this looks for me?"

"Oh, here we go. Of course. It's about you, Harvey."

"Well, eight weeks ago my associate wasn't lying to me about the work he was doing or how he spent his weekends."

"You know, I called Mike for help because I knew you would freak out like this!" Emilie dunk onto the couch and crossed her arms. "I made a mistake, Harvey."

"Yeah, well, I would have left you there overnight!" Harvey was yelling. "You realize you'd have a permanent scar and a criminal record if you weren't sleeping with Finn."

"Oh, fuck you, Harvey! You know, that was a cheap shot - even for you." Emilie stood up off the couch and hurried into her bedroom, where she slammed the door and sunk down behind it.

* * *

Harvey knew his fight with Emilie wasn't fair and he could have handled it better. But he was frustrated and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

While he would admit the last few months had been a good opportunity to rebuild his relationship with his sister, it was really wearing on him.

And he didn't even want to think about what the hell to do about Mike Ross.

Harvey got to the office early on Monday morning. He was looking forward to some quiet time in his office to wrap up the rest of the details for Timothy Hazen. He ran into Jessica in the lobby and they rode up the elevator together.

"Thanks for making Timothy such a happy man, Harvey. I hope you got to celebrate this weekend."

Harvey just smiled politely at his boss.

"What? No wild debaucherous story to share?" She pressed on. "Harvey, do you want to talk about this strong, silent type act you have going for you today?"

Harvey contemplated asking Jessica for advice about his sister but frankly, he was tired of talking about it. And he was coming to the same conclusion over and over again - this shit shouldn't be getting dragged into his work life. That was the sole reason he kept so tight lipped about his family - once the lines started to blur, he started to lose track.

He shook his head. "Just couldn't sleep last night, that's all."

"Well," Jessica paused as they stepped out of the elevator, "Push that paperwork through today and we'll have a celebratory dinner tonight."

"Are you gonna let me have two glasses of wine this time?" Harvey quipped at her, a smirk on her face. She just rolled her eyes and smiled as she headed to her office.

Harvey's smile dropped into a thin line again as he arrived at his office. He got to work reviewing the final pages of paperwork for the merger, keeping his door closed and eyes down.

Halfway through the morning, Mike appeared at the door. He knocked then let himself in. Harvey didn't look up from his computer.

"Hey, I noticed a small technical error on page 42 of the contract." He paused in front of Harvey's desk and pointed to a few notes on the page in his hand.

"Good catch." Harvey said shortly. "Thanks."

Mike left the documents on the desk. "So, how did it go with Emilie?"

Harvey didn't respond.

"Did Mount Harvey erupt?"

"Listen, Mike. I need you to understand that while you think picking up my sister when she was at the police station was a gesture and the _right thing to do_ but I don't see it that way. You had no right to do that or not tell me about it."

"Harvey, c'mon. I was just trying to help her out."

"I'm not done." Harvey's voice was growing in volume. He finally looked up at Mike. "From now on, what's going on in Emilie's life is not important to you. In fact, whatever friendship you think you have with her does not exist anymore. Don't work on her case, don't talk to her, and you can sure as hell stop bringing her up to me at work. I'm not paying you to involve yourself in my personal life."

Harvey locked eyes with Mike for one moment longer than returned to his laptop. "You can go."

It wasn't long after Mike left that Donna came to Harvey's desk. She dropped off a file and a few pieces of mail then waited. Harvey eventually looked up at her.

"Yes, Donna?"

"Do you want to talk about that wildly unnecessary display with Mike?"

Harvey rolled his eyes and looked away from her, continuing to type on his laptop. "I don't."

"Well, you know that was uncalled for."

"Was it, Donna? Because Mike left a night out with our client on Friday to get my sister from the police station. And failed to mention any of that to me."

"So, who are you really mad at, Harvey? Mike or Emilie? You know your sister is going through a lot right now and if she felt comfortable enough to ask Mike for help, maybe you should be grateful."

"I'd be more grateful if they didn't hide it from me, Donna."

"And that's fair. But you don't need to blow up at Mike about it. Let him explain or apologize instead."

"I don't have time to worry about hurting Mike's feelings."

Donna pursed her lips and stopped herself from continuing. She knew it wasn't worth her energy to argue with him about it when he was already so far into his bad mood. It was a waste of her own energy to try and talk him down. She just turned on her heel and left him there.

Mike avoided Harvey for the rest of the day. Honestly, it felt like most people were avoiding Harvey. He assumed Donna was being diligent and directing traffic away from him.

After his dinner with Jessica, he headed home. He was dreading it, in a way. He didn't want another head to head battle with Emilie, even though he knew he should apologize.

He just didn't know what else to say to her.

He tried over and over again to put himself in her position and try to understand why she was acting the way she was - but he was coming up empty. She had a multitude of people to talk to and discuss what was going on. But she was closing herself off, she was hostile, she was demure. What else could he do?

"_Well, you know where to find me when Hurricane Emilie meets Harvey The Destructor."_

Maybe it was beyond his control. He finally conceded and called Marcus once he got in the door of his place.

"What's up, old man?" Marcus answered his call after a few rings.

Harvey smirked as he spoke. "Sure wish that wasn't catching on." He laughed for a moment. "I need some Emilie advice."

"I knew this was coming. What happened now?"

Harvey quickly relayed the weekend events to his brother.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Arrested?"

"Thankfully they dropped the charges but what am I supposed to do now?"

Marcus sighed. "Harvey, listen. Mom and Bobby always knew there was a delicate balance with Em. Push just enough to help but not enough to get her to run. I can only imagine you're starting to blur that line. And I mean this in the kindest way but maybe you two need some distance again."

"Well, I do have a lead on a sublet for her for the rest of the school year." Harvey thought back to his dinner with Jessica. She had suggested Emilie sublet her cousins apartment in Midtown while she worked out of the country. It didn't seem like a bad idea.

"But you've gotta turn it into a suggestion, not like you're kicking her out. That's the first thing. The second thing is to know you're not her dad. Bobby had an iron fist with her when absolutely necessary, he was the only one who could really get to her - I'm picking up the kids at their house soon and I can ask him for some advice."

"Sure. Yeah. Thanks." Harvey paused. "She just manages to push every single one of my buttons."

"Yeah. She's just like you that way. Isn't it annoying?"

"Marcus, I just want to help her."

"Well, maybe you need a different approach. Be understanding, not defensive."

"I'm not always defensive!"

"He said defensively." Marcus laughed at his brother. "Stop fighting fire with fire. Ask her what she needs instead of assuming what you think is right will help." He paused. "Hey, her birthday is coming up. Why don't you take her out somewhere?"

Harvey didn't respond. Frankly, he forgot it was her birthday altogether.

"You know, I called you hoping you would give me some advice on fixing this."

"I did give you advice. You just don't like it."

"Thanks Marcus. Let me know what Bobby says."

Harvey poured himself a drink and sat down with a book in the living room. He occasionally glanced at his watch to check the time. It was getting late and Emilie still wasn't home. He sent her a text and got a short reply she would be home soon.

It wasn't long before she was rushing into the apartment screaming his name.

"Harvey! What the fuck? You told mom and my dad about what happened!?"

She stormed up to him in the living room, cheeks flushed and eyebrows furrowed. "Why did you do that?! Nothing happened."

"Emilie." Harvey put his book down and leaned forward in the couch to look at her.

"Dad just gave me a huge lecture on disappointing him and mom wants me to defer my last semester and come home and _figure things out_."

"Em-

"Why did you have to say anything? Did you ever think maybe I wanted to tell them myself?" She was yelling now.

Harvey stood up and pointed at her. "Bullshit. You weren't going to tell them at all."

"Well, it's my business. You had no right to relay that information!"

Harvey did his best to keep his voice down. They didn't need to fight. Don't fight fire with fire. "It's not just your business! Your choices affect my life too, Em. And I only told Marcus. I can't control who he told."

Harvey did regret not asking Marcus to stay quiet about the whole thing. It wasn't really his place to relay that information.

"Oh, like that makes it okay. Why did you even have to tell him!?" She headed towards her bedroom, shaking her head. "You know, there was always a difference between you and Marcus - he treats me like a child but you treat me like something worse than that. Like I'm incapable of taking care of myself or making competent decisions or something."

She could feel herself escalating again. It was the same surge of feelings she had before she attacked Jordan. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself. She felt tears streaming from her eyes.

"Do you know why mom wants me to come home? Because she thinks I need help again. Like I need to visit a therapist."

"Well, Em, maybe you do!"

She let out a loud scream in his direction and went into her room. He followed her.

"Emilie, you're dealing with a lot of shit right now and I'm sick of-

"Sick of trying to deal with it? Thanks for telling me how you really feel Harvey."

"Goddamnit. That's not what I was trying to say."

"Well, that's what I heard." Her voice was barely audible as she closed her door. "Please just leave me alone."

* * *

The moment after she closed her door in Harvey's face the night before Emilie knew she had to move out. She didn't have much of a plan of where she was going but Leah offered her futon for a few days while she figured it out.

Tuesday morning she ignored Harvey's knocks on her door, yelling at him to let her sleep in and that her class was cancelled. It wasn't but she needed to pack all her things up that morning before her afternoon shift at the cafe.

She hadn't seen Finn since Friday night - she knew he was adjusting to a day shift rotation. But part of her was avoiding talking to him. She was embarrassed about what happened Friday and she was worried about what he really thought. He laughed the whole thing off but she knew it the whole thing was juvenile.

They were going to hang out that night when she was done work but she canceled on him preemptively, stating she had to stay at the school late to finish a project.

Packing her things back into a few bags was disappointing to Emilie. As she zipped up her duffle bag and sighed, thinking back to a time when her whole life didn't wrap up so neatly. Back when she had books and artwork and supplies and things that she cared about. She left Harvey's around noon and headed towards the cafe with her bags.

She knew, rationally, she shouldn't leave. She didn't need to. But part of her was worried Harvey was nearing the point of kicking her out. She saw it in his face, she heard it in his tone. She picked up on things he did - biting his tongue, rolling his eyes, sighing. She disrupted his life and at first it had worked out. But now things were messy.

When she got to the cafe, they were in the middle of their midday rush. As she walked in the door, she found herself face to face with Jason Moore her again.

"Oh hey Emilie," he said quietly, glancing at her bags. "Moving again?"

"Please," she replied curtly. "Do you not have anything better to do than harass me?"

"I'm not harassing anyone." He said simply. He held up his coffee cup. "Just here for the coffee."

"Well, that's great. If you could kindly get the fuck out of my way, I'm already late." She pushed past him and made her way to the back. She dropped her bags near the backdoor, then tied on her apron.

Before she made it to the front, Jackie stopped her. "Hey Em, you okay?"

Emilie nodded, "Yeah sorry Jackie. I'm just distracted today."

"Because some man in the cafe just pulled me aside to tell me you swore at him."

Emilie swore under her breath and shook her head. "Sorry Jackie, honestly. I just..I have no excuse for that. It was uncalled for and I'm sorry."

Jackie gave her a smile and reached out to grab her hand, "It's okay, sweetie. It was out of the ordinary for you so I was a bit worried." She paused. "How do you feel about just staying back here today? Working on some prep for the rest of the week."

"It's like you read my mind, Jackie." Emilie returned the smile. "And I'm sorry again."

"No need to apologize anymore, Em. Just know I'm here if you need anything, okay?" Jackie smiled at the young girl and headed back to the busy cafe front.

Emilie worked peacefully all afternoon with her headphones in. It was a nice mental break from her day. Her mind wandered as she worked, thinking about what her and Harvey might do for dinner that night. Then she remembered their last interaction and how she packed up all her things.

Right.

She was going to crash at Leah's.

She left the cafe just after five and headed to the subway. She squeezed into a car and got off in Tribeca, navigating to Leah's.

Leah had a one bedroom apartment - it wasn't huge but it was comfortable. She had a small kitchen and living room in one end of the unit and down the hall was her bedroom and a bathroom. She said Emilie could crash on the couch for a few days no problem. It was kind of nice to have a sleepover anyway.

The two friends stayed up watching some old movies on Netflix before heading to bed. Emilie continued to glance at her phone to see if Harvey was going to reach out.

There was a part of her that wanted him to worry. She didn't want to admit it and she pushed it to the back of her mind, but it crossed her mind. How long until they could maybe end this fight? Maybe it wasn't going to be fixed this time. Maybe she didn't want to fix it.

She had ignored a call from both her mom and dad earlier that day, too. They were probably just going to apologize and check in on her. But she didn't want to go through the motions.

She sent Finn a text before she fell asleep. But her phone was otherwise quiet.

* * *

Harvey was up early on Wednesday morning. Something prompted him to wake up. He usually heard Emilie stirring around 7 but when he got back from his run, her door was still closed.

He had gotten home late the night before and her door had been shut then, too. Truthfully, he was grateful for the quiet. He didn't want to fight with her anymore. He took Marcus' advice to give her some space.

But Bobby had called him too. He told Harvey that giving her space was right - but don't let her stray too far. Bobby also told Harvey he was going to call her again and talk to her about a few things and see if he could help.

"But Harvey, it's tough for us all to admit this but she's her own person. If this is how she wants to deal with whatever is going on, as long as she's not hurting herself, sometimes you have to let it run its course."

In all honesty, it was shit advice.

Harvey knew the best way to deal with his sister was to poke the bear. She would eventually break. He saw it with vulnerable witnesses all the time. It wasn't always fair or easy, but it was effective. The problem with Emilie was that she built a blockade around her emotions.

Harvey continued his morning routine. He got into the shower and changed. As he worked on styling his hair, he checked the time. It was nearly eight and he still hadn't heard Emilie. He sighed, assuming she had slept through her alarm again.

"Emilie," he started, heading towards the kitchen. "You're going to be late."

Nothing.

"Emilie?"

Harvey narrowed his eyes as he thought about the morning. Maybe she got up early. He checked his phone and saw no messages from her. Finally, he knocked on her door.

"Em?"

He pushed the door open when he didn't get a response.

Not only was her bed empty but her bedding was folded into a neat pile. The futon was returned to its couch form and her bags were gone. All that remained on the small desk was Harvey's Harvard sweatshirt.

He grabbed his phone and called his sister. It went to her voicemail.

"Shit."

He sent her a message: '_Where are you?'_

It didn't take long for her to reply: '_class. Thanks for finally figuring out I wasn't there. For a lawyer your attention to detail is lacking.'_

Harvey swore again. '_C'mon Emilie. Where are you planning on staying?'_

'_Doesn't matter. Let's just get back to normal - living in the same city and never seeing each other. We worked better this way. See you at Christmas.'_

"Goddamnit."

* * *

Mike had been spending his lunch hours all week continuing to do some digging about Jason Moore. He didn't bring it up to Harvey anymore but he and Finn had been staying in touch.

Finn stopped by Friday to talk with him.

"So, you were right," Finn dropped down onto the chair across from his desk. "I think he's been going to the cafe. He must have figured out her work schedule."

"Shit." Mike replied, leaning back in his chair. "Is there anything we can do?"

"No, not really. I mean, he's not doing anything wrong. Except some sort of psychological warfare. It explains why she's been on edge."

"Okay. Well, here's what I found. That parent company that owns both Crowne and Royale is called TRZ Group. And it also owns an audio visual company that specializes in surveillance equipment."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Finn's eyes shot open.

"And I looked up the online reviews for Shawn Moore's construction company and buried deep on Google was a one-star review about her creepy boss installing a camera in their bathroom at work. Totally swept under the rug. I reached out to the reviewer for more information but haven't heard anything."

"Mike, that's incredible. Did you tell Harvey any of this yet?"

"No, because I told him I'd stay out of it. But I'm wondering if you talk to Greg if we can get this reopened."

"Maybe search the brother's place."

"Their company is based out of New Jersey so that-

"Complicates things, yeah. Well, let me see what I can do. I'll call you after work. Are you free tonight? We can go over the next steps." Finn stood up to leave as Mike nodded.

Mike stood up to shake his hand. As Finn turned to leave, Harvey appeared in the doorway.

"Finn."

"Hey Harvey, I was just leaving. Thanks again Mike."

"Hey, how's my sister?"

"You tell me. She's been swamped with school projects all week so I haven't seen her since, well, you know."

Harvey just nodded as Finn left. He had been keeping quiet about Emilie at work all week, although he had told Donna she moved out. He could only assume Donna had told Mike too.

Harvey and Mike were amicable again, following their episode on Monday. But they didn't discuss Emilie.

Mike shuffled his papers away as Harvey came further into his office.

"Do you have notes from the deposition for me?"

* * *

Emilie was annoyed. Sure, she knew she should be grateful for having friends who let her couch surf but she was still annoyed.

After spending a few days on Leah's couch, she ended up getting a text from Cassie. She wanted to get dinner. Emilie knew Cassie was feeling guilty still about their fight and what happened with Jordan. At dinner, Emilie found her Cassie and Jordan wound up in a two bedroom apartment anyway.

And Cassie was overjoyed to offer Emilie their spare room.

"Technically Jordan uses it for gaming, like he has this whole big desk set up in there but there's also a twin bed! So you can crash for a while. It's the least we can do." She paused. "Maybe apologize to Jordan for leaping on him though. What even happened that night?"

So Emilie bit her tongue and swallowed her pride and found herself dropping her bags in Cassie and Jordan's apartment. She had to admit it was nice to connect with Cassie again. But she was less inclined to share a space with Jordan. At least the bedroom had a lock.

Friday night Emilie was holed up in their second bedroom, working away with her headphones on. Cassie was working a late shift at her serving job and Emilie wasn't sure where Jordan was. But she was enjoying the alone time.

She had worked earlier that day and felt anxious all morning about Harvey or Donna showing up to try and talk to her. Luckily she had no visitors, not even Jason Moore. Maybe it was all over.

Emilie went from working on her laptop to reading as the night went on. It was almost midnight when she heard Jordan come home.

"Oh hey Em," he said as he popped his head into the room. "Nice to have you here. Did Cassie tell you the one ground rule is not to attack me?"

Emilie resisted rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well, thanks for letting me crash. And uhh, sorry about that."

"I do make a pretty fat Batman," he shrugged, smirking at her. "Bygones." He headed out of the room.

She just smiled and looked back at her book.

"You want a drink?" She could hear him yelling down the hall.

"No, thanks," she shouted back. She wasn't sure the etiquette of shutting the door. "I'm just gonna head to bed."

"No, wait, hold on," Jordan returned. Emilie realized this wasn't his first beer of the night. "I need to show you something." He waltzed into the room and sat down at his desk chair. "You're not going to believe it."

Emilie remained on the bed, fighting the urge to tell him off. She didn't believe anything Jordan did was sincere.

"Don't ask me how I found this but, I will admit I've watched it like a dozen times," Jordan laughed to himself. "Cassie fucking hates when I watch this stuff."

Emilie watched him type on his computer. Then he shifted one of his screens.

Emilie didn't know what she was supposed to be watching. It looked like a bathroom. Wait. She recognized that bathroom.

Her stomach sank. Her face went red. A wave of nausea overcame her. It was the bathroom at her old apartment.

"There's no sound but…" Jordan looked over at her, smirking at her reaction. Suddenly someone came into frame. It was Ethan in a towel. Following by Emilie herself, tearing off her clothes. "And like it gets sorta foggy at some points so gotta leave it up to my imagination a lot but there's some good shots."

"What the fuck?" Emilie scooted to the edge of the bed and stared at the screen. "What the fuck Jordan!? Where did you find this?"

"Just a generic porn site and -

"Turn it off! How can you watch this? Why didn't you tell me? How long have you known about this?"

"Emilie, you should be honoured. Like forty thousand people really appreciate your work."

"Never watch this again! Jordan!" She got up and reached to hit the spacebar on the keyboard. "Send me the link to this and never watch it again I swear to god Jordan." She grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Never again."

"Classic psycho Emilie," Jordan huffed as she pulled away. "As you wish." He grabbed his phone and sent a message to Emilie. "Good luck dealing with this. The internet is forever, sweet cheeks. Literally sweet cheeks." He laughed and pointed to his computer screen, scrubbing the video forward to a moment of the video where Emilie was pressed up against the shower, her backside very clearly showing.

Emilie's eyes went wide again and she rushed to pull on a sweatshirt. She slid her feet into her shoes near the door and rushed out of the apartment.

Emilie's mind was racing. She could feel her breathing getting more and more intense and she ran down the stairs of the building. What was she supposed to do now?

This was the worst case scenario for her. The whole time they were dealing with her landlord, she felt uncomfortable. Like no matter how hard they proved he didn't film anything, he was lying. She had felt it in her bones but the justice system didn't care. But now, it was true. And she felt like dying.

She was hyperventilating by the time she got to the street level. She pushed her way out the door and leaned down against the building, squatting down. Her heart rate was increasing. What was she supposed to do?

Her brain was flashing the same thing over and over again: call Harvey call Harvey call Harvey.

And as much as she didn't want to, that's all she could bear to do. She dialed his number and brought the ringing phone to her ear. She knew it was late but she just hoped he would answer.

But he didn't.

She continued to try and control her breathing as her tears fell. She called Finn next and he answered.

"Em, hey!"

"Finn," her voice cracked as she spoke. "I need your help."

"Are you crying? What's going on? Where are you?"

"Can you come pick me up? Please. I'm on Greenwich in Tribeca."

The next half hour was the longest of Emilie's life. She waited inside the entryway of a sandwich shop and tried her best to control her tears. All she could do was think about that video: her old apartment, her shower, Ethan, sexy with Ethan in the shower. The nausea came back in waves as she thought about it.

By the time she spotted Finn's car on the street, she was sobbing and hyperventilating again. She was surprised to find Mike in the front seat.

"Em, what's going on? Are you hurt?" Finn glanced in the rear view mirror at her as she slipped into the backseat.

She shook her head. "No, it's…" She glanced down at her phone seeing a swath of inappropriate messages from Jordan. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. "Can you take me home please. To Harvey's. I don't know how to…"

Finn just nodded and changed his course towards Harvey's place.

* * *

Harvey came home late on Friday evening. In fact, he had been coming home late every night that week. Wether or not he wanted to admit it, his suddenly sister-less apartment left him feeling melancholy. They hadn't spoken since their last text interaction. He wanted to reach out but he stood his ground.

Emilie was acting out and needed some space.

Harvey had other things to worry about.

Like court cases and depositions and mergers and litigation. Yet, multiple times a day his mind wandered to his sister.

Friday evening had been spent out at Harvey's favourite bar, sharing a bottle of wine with the brunette he had seen a few times. But, he went home alone. Even though he had nothing stopping him, no sister in the next room - his heart wasn't in it.

On his drive home, he resisted taking a call from his sister. He wasn't up for fighting with her - he could only assume a late night phone call on Friday was not Emilie being social.

As he walked into his empty condo, he took off his coat and checked his phone. No other phone calls from his sister but he did have a message from Mike.

'_I don't know what's going on but Finn and I are with Emilie and she's in hysterics. We're heading to your place. Somethings wrong.'_

Harvey narrowed his eyes at the message. This was not how he thought his Friday would wrap up.

Twenty minutes later, Emilie, Mike and Finn were walking through his door.

Harvey was taken aback by the sight of his sister - her face was swollen with tears, her hair pulled up into a messy bun, her eyes sunken in, she looked delicate, broken. Emmy.

Harvey wasn't sure what to say. "Will someone tell me what's going on?"

All three of the men turned and looked over at Emilie.

"Okay. Uhm. I don't know how to…" She took a deep breath. "I was planning on crashing at Cassie's...but uhm. Her boyfriend Jordan showed me.." She shook her head and looked down.

"Em," Finn took a step over towards her.

She grabbed her phone from her pocket. "This video." She gulped and pressed on her phone, pulling Finn a few steps away from Mike and Harvey to show him.

Finn grabbed her phone from her and watched. His eyes grew wide as he looked back at her. She kept her head down, staring at the ground. "Is that...?"

"The bathroom in my old apartment? Yes." She paused as he watched. "And that is Ethan. And that is...me. And that is...us in the shower…" She cringed as she spoke.

As Harvey listened to his sister, his eyes darted from her and Finn over to Mike. He pieced it all together as Finn watched the video.

Mike shook his head and swore under his breath.

"Jesus Christ," Finn looked over to her as he stopped watching. "Em, I'm so sorry." He put his arm over her shoulders.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She pulled away from him.

Harvey, Mike and Finn all looked at each other. They all knew this was complicated - much more complicated than they wanted to admit. Clearly her landlord lied and recorded video footage of her and kept it. Not only that, he either sold it or uploaded it online himself. And now, copies and downloads of that video could be all over the Internet. There wasn't an easy solution.

"Emilie," Harvey took a few steps towards her. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked down again. "Hey, look at me."

She shook her head. "I'm an idiot, Harvey. I shouldn't have left and I shouldn't have...

Harvey's heart was breaking as she trailed off and started to cry again. The entire last week disappeared from his brain. Every ounce of anger and frustration he had took a sharp turn from being upset with her to being livid that someone could betray her innocence and trust like this. How could someone hurt her? How could he let someone hurt her?

If only he had fucking helped her last February. This was his fault. It was all his fault.

"Emmy," he said quietly, pulling her close in a hug. "This isn't your fault. Please know this isn't your fault, okay? We're going to take care of it. I promise. I'll take care of it."

* * *

_A/N: well, lucky for Emilie rock bottom wasn't too far away. and she has Harvey, Mike and Finn who didn't give up on her. not that admitting to your brother and brother figure there's a sex tape on the Internet was an easy feat. and while Harvey will always be there for his sister, there is still some repairing to do since their last fight. Let's just put it all on the table, shall we?_

_I put off writing this chapter then it just poured out of me! Thanks for being along for the ride. I have to admit that this story is going to come to an end in a few chapters but don't worry, there's still some good things to come. _

_Thank you all for being so supportive along the way. Emilie grew and evolved and so did the story! More than I imagined it would. Thank you to cicia724 and Andelin for the kind reviews always. _


	13. Little Sister

Emilie was exhausted.

She left Harvey, Mike and Finn in the kitchen and got into the shower. She felt uncomfortable and dirty. She knew she didn't do anything wrong - aside from trust her landlord wasn't an inappropriate pervert. But here she was - paying for it.

She let the hot water sear her skin as she cried and cried and cried.

She was feeling incredibly grateful for her support system - even though she felt terrible for distancing herself from her brother last week. Everything was just such a mess. Things were a lot easier when all she fought about with Harvey was her bad attitude and his arrogance. They had come so far yet took ten steps back. She was surprised he was even willing to still help her.

Finn was waiting in her room when she got out of the shower. The futon had returned to bed position and there was a small basket of her clothes sitting on the desk. She must have left them there and clearly Harvey's housekeeper had finished off her laundry.

"I'm not sure I'm supposed to watch you get dressed if your brother is in the next room," Finn commented as she slipped off her towel and pulled on Harvey's old sweatshirt. He covered his eyes with his hands but clearly peaked at her, a small smile on her face as she glanced over at him.

Emilie appreciated him trying to make the situation feel a bit lighter. She dried off her legs and put on a pair of leggings. She toweled off her damp hair and climbed onto the bed beside Finn.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she snuggled beside him. "For putting up with me and helping me and…" She trailed off. She was full of things to thank him for but she wasn't sure how to put it into words.

The last few weeks had been a mess but Finn remained. She had been difficult and absent but he still did he best to talk to her and check in. Their schedules conflicted yet he still reached out to see how she was or took the time to send her a picture of Pippin.

"You're welcome," he replied to her softly, rubbing her back slowly. "I've realized you're not much for letting people help you. So I've had to be persistent."

"Most people give up or just don't care."

"Well, I'm not most people. I've never met a girl who actually read and kept up a conversation about Lord of the Rings like you. While we may disagree on Frodo's intentions, I think I'll keep you around."

Finn continued rubbing her back until she fell asleep. He stayed a few minutes longer then made sure she was safely underneath a few blankets before he slipped out of the room.

Harvey was standing at the kitchen island while Mike sat on a stool across from him.

Finn dropped onto a stool beside him. Harvey offered him a beer and he gladly accepted.

All three of them sat in silence for a moment.

"I sent the video to my friend who works in cyber crimes," Finn finally spoke. "They'll start an investigation based on the original case. The first goal is to get the video taken down and find the source of the upload."

Harvey just nodded and slipped his drink. He was disengaged.

"We left a voicemail for Greg. Jason Moore still has another two weeks of probation so he shouldn't be hard to find." Mike glanced over at Finn, who nodded.

"This does give us a valid reason to go search his brother's house in New Jersey now," Finn continued.

"And if that ex-employee can corroborate that payout she got from them -

"Then we are definitely sending this bastard to jail."

Harvey's eyes bounced between the two of them as they talked. He put his glass down and narrowed his eyes at Mike. "What are you two talking about?"

Mike sighed and put his drink down on the surface in front of him. "I know you told me not to, but Finn and I kept digging about Jason Moore and his brother and this whole thing. It kind of took us down a rabbit hole but if our research is right.." He glanced over at Finn.

"Well, we'll know for sure once we search the brother's house. Let's just say this isn't the first camera he's planted and been found out about."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Harvey did his best to keep his voice down. He didn't want to scream and wake up his sister. He was feeling angry that he gave up on the case in the first place. It wasn't fair to be mad at Mike or Finn.

It was just another reason for Harve my to be upset with himself.

Mike sat up straight to prepare his response to his boss. "Listen, Harvey. You had a lot going on with Emilie and I know the last few weeks haven't been easy. I did this all after working hours and we-

Harvey cut him off by waving his hand. He sighed. "Thank you. That's what I should be saying. Thank you for not giving up."

"Harvey," Finn took a final sip of his beer and out the bottle down as he stood up. "I'll say it again. This guy is going to jail. I'll make sure of it."

* * *

_The last thing Harvey wanted to be doing on his Saturday night was entertaining his 14-year-old sister. _

_Marcus and Katie had brought her into Manhattan for a concert as a birthday gift. Harvey was unwilling to join them at the concert, although he had been the one to secure the tickets. Good tickets, too. He didn't give a damn about whatever pop artist she was obsessing over lately but he figured music was best enjoyed when you were overwhelmed with it. _

_His only caveat was spending Saturday night with Emilie so his brother and wife could enjoy a night out together. _

_It was the least he could do. _

_He took Emilie to a small diner he liked out in Astoria. She insisted on taking the subway. Harvey humoured her and knew it would eat up some of the time at least. _

"_So, after that song she came all the way out onto this catwalk. Like, Harvey, she was 20 feet away from us!" Emilie was excitedly retelling him details about the concert. It was a cool November evening but even the cold air wouldn't stop her from rambling. _

_Emilie had only just started ninth grade and from the sound of Marcus' comments, it wasn't going well. She had already skipped class more than once and apparently a few weeks ago Bobby was certain she came home from a sleepover hungover. _

_Harvey wasn't worried. The Emilie in front of him was just as chipper and sassy as he remembered. High school was the time to act out. He remembered being a bit of a reckless kid in high school too - but he always got good grades and managed to talk his way into or out of the wrong situations. _

"_I mean, I can't wait to tell Cassie about it. She would have loved to see her live. I feel bad I've been talking about it for so long but I got her a t-shirt at least."_

_They walked from the subway station about a block away to the door of the Neptune Diner. _

"_Aren't there a bunch of five star restaurants in Manhattan?" Emilie commented as Harvey opened the door for her. _

"_Yeah, I'm not paying $75 for your dinner and you end up not liking it. Trust me, you'll like this place." Harvey smirked at his sister as she slid into a booth at the end of the row. He slid in across from her. _

"_Oh, it makes sense now." She grabbed a tent card off the table. "Best pie in New York - that's why you like it here."_

"_I'll have you know I run five miles every morning to earn delicious slices of pie like this." _

"_Weird way to brag about running five miles every morning, old man."_

_After they ordered, the brother and sister sat in silence. Harvey watched as she carefully poured two and a half creamers, and half a spoonful of sugar into her coffee and stirred three times, before tapping the spoon on the side of her mug. _

_Harvey let out a short breath then smiled. _

"_What?" Emilie asked him, curious about his sudden smiling face. "Please don't lecture me about drinking coffee."_

"_You share a lot of mannerisms with mom, you know." _

_Emilie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, everyone says that."_

_Harvey asked her about school next and she rambled on and on about some classes (art and computer design) and complained about others (calculus and science). _

"_So, Marcus told me to ask you about Scottie. Who is he?"_

_Harvey just laughed as he took a bite of his burger. "She is just someone I went to law school with."_

"_Oh. I get it. Ex-girlfriend."_

"_What? How did you get that out of one sentence?"_

"_Your eyes did this thing." Emilie put down her grilled cheese and pointed at her brother. "Like, you paused for a brief second when you said someone and your eyes sorta opened wide for just a moment."_

_Harvey narrowed his eyes curiously at his sister. "You read one second of my body language better than some of the people I work with."_

_She smirked at him proudly, reaching across the table to steal an onion ring from his plate. _

"_So you've confirmed she is your ex-girlfriend. Gotcha."_

"_What do you want to know, Em?"_

"_Marcus and Katie just have a bet going that you'll never settle down. So I figured I would investigate."_

_Harvey rolled his eyes as he continued to eat. "Sorry to report I keep my romantic life very separate from my family life. I could already be married and none of you would know."_

_Emilie knew Harvey had issues discussing his family life and she didn't want to press. She was surprised they were even having such a candid conversation considering how little they communicated. _

"_So," Emilie decided she should change the subject. "If you weren't tethered to your teenage sister tonight, what would you be doing?"_

"_Honestly," Harvey paused to think. "Working, probably."_

"_That's boring."_

"_Although tonight they're playing Star Wars at this little theatre out in Brooklyn and -_

"_Which one?"_

_Harvey looked at her curiously. "Empire Strikes Back."_

_Emilie paused to think. "We should go. I mean, it's not the best of the three but it's still good."_

"_What?" Harvey reached his hand out to feel her forehead. "Are you sick? No one in their right mind would argue about the greatest Star Wars movie of all time."_

_She grabbed his hand and threw it back towards him. "You're hilarious."_

_Harvey glanced at his watch. "Well, if you're serious we've gotta grab the next train."_

"_Do you think we can sneak a slice of pie into the movie theatre?"_

* * *

Emilie woke up Saturday morning desperately hoping her vivid memories of the night before were just a terrible dream.

Glancing at her phone was a clear indication it wasn't a dream. She had a frantic text from Cassie about Jordan and the video. She seemed unaware of it and what was going on and that gave Emilie a bit of comfort. She was determined to keep her distance from Cassie as long as she continued to date Jordan. That was clear enough. She knew she had to go back and get her bags sometime over the weekend, too.

She had a cute good morning message from Finn to check in and see how she was doing. He was working that day and Emilie was hoping she'd get to see him again soon.

She laid in bed a while longer, doing her best to delay facing the world. As she rested on her pillow, she heard a strange noise. Someone singing. Harvey singing?

Emilie crawled out of her bed and opened the bedroom door, peering out towards the kitchen. There stood her brother, singing along to an old Beatles record, standing over the stove.

"Am I still dreaming or are you actually cooking?" Emilie said as she walked into the space beside him, reaching up for a coffee cup.

Harvey looked over at her and smirked, "Just because I don't cook doesn't mean I can't cook."

"Anyone can cook bacon and eggs, old man," she replied to him, pouring a cup of coffee from the French press sitting on the island.

Harvey continued to sing as he passed a plate of food over to her. Emilie was actually impressed - she knew Harvey didn't stock groceries very often. Unless his housekeeper had picked up things for him, the only explanation was Harvey getting up early to run and get things to make breakfast.

Harvey turned off the stove top and slid into the stool beside her, taking a bite of his breakfast. They sat in silence for a moment.

"So, I had an idea," Harvey finally spoke, turning his head to watch her pick at her plate of food. He wanted to remind her to eat, but he stopped himself. She turned to look at him curiously.

"Since your birthday is Monday…" He spoke slowly and raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to confirm he remembered correctly. She just gave him a confirmation nod and an annoyed face to let him continue. "I figured we could do something today. Whatever you want. On me."

"Oh." Emilie paused to think. "Are you sure you're my brother Harvey and not someone who was body snatched?"

Harvey rolled his eyes. "Em, listen. We've had a few shitty weeks. The last one in particular was not great for either of us." He sighed. He had nothing else to say about that. "I heard there's a few Richard Hamilton pieces on display at MoMA right now."

Emilie's eyes lit up. She was always surprised when Harvey remembered facts about her, like her favourite visual artist.

"Well, okay. You've twisted my arm." She smiled at him, grateful to his attempt to suspend her bad mood and ignore the current situation. "But, I have to go get my stuff from Cassie's. That is, if you're willing to let me stay here again."

"Of course." Harvey nodded at her. "I can't believe I'm about to admit this but it was too quiet without you here this week."

Later that morning, they were pulling up outside of Cassie's apartment. Emilie turned to step out of the car, glancing at her phone. Cassie was out at the gym but told Emilie that Jordan was home and he would let her in.

Harvey opened his door to get out, too.

"You can stay down here," Emilie told him, crossing her arms as she looked over at him.

"Yeah. But I'm not going to. C'mon." He headed towards the door to the building and opened it up for her. She wanted to be annoyed at Harvey's support, but she had to admit she appreciated his presence.

Harvey was feeling completely out of his element dealing with this situation now. There wasn't any real guidance to being a big brother, especially when the current situation was well beyond what he felt comfortable talking about. But ever since the night before, as his sister cried in his arms, he couldn't bear letting her out of his sight. He needed to look out for her, he needed to protect her in some way. He couldn't go back in time and fix his past mistakes and fights with her, but in that moment and moving forward, he would do whatever he could to help her.

They climbed up a few sets of staircases and stopped in front of an apartment door. Emilie just sighed and knocked. A few moments later, the door was opening just enough for Jordan to look into the hallway.

"Back again, Bryant?" Jordan spat out. Emilie resisted rolling her eyes at him. He looked particularly exhausted. "Cassie yelled at me all night because of this mess."

"Listen, Jordan, I just want to grab my things and then I'll be gone."

"Yeah, well, I don't know if I want you coming into my home if you're just going to threaten me again."

Harvey, who had been patiently waiting to the side of the door frame, let out an annoyed sigh. He took a step over and pushed the door open wide, revealing himself.

"Just go grab your stuff, Em." Harvey said sternly, staring down the young male.

"Who is this? Your bodyguard?" Jordan commented to Emilie as she swept by him. Harvey just rolled his eyes and kept an eye on his sister as she disappeared into the apartment. Jordan stayed at the door, staring back at Harvey.

"Oh, I get it. You're her brother, aren't you? Cassie mentioned you before. Big lawyer or something. Well, what's the law say about physical threats? Considering your sister fucking attacked me outside that party then grabbed me by the collar last night-

Harvey cut him off. "Well, let's just say that without a witness, no one will give a shit about threats like that. Especially when it's coming from someone who's been emotionally compromised and taken advantage of." Emilie came back to the door with her bags. Harvey took one from her and narrowed his eyes at Jordan. "And, if you're going to stand there and complain that my five foot four sister is a threat to you, I think you have more to be worried about."

Harvey looked at him for a moment longer than lead his sister back to the staircase.

Jordan yelled out as they started downstairs, "Here's hoping I never see you again, Emilie Bryant!"

Emilie just rushed ahead her brother to get back outside and away from the apartment.

Harvey followed suit and met her outside as she was putting her bags into the trunk with Ray's assistance. Harvey loaded in her last bag and got back into the car with her. They were clearly both agitated by the entire situation.

"I can see why you attacked that jackass," Harvey muttered to her.

"Yeah, I do not understand what Cassie sees in him. It just fills me with so much rage that he watched…" Emilie scrunched up her face, clearly even more uncomfortable being reminded of the entire.

"Em," Harvey reached out and put his hand on her knee.

She pushed his hand away. "Please, don't."

Harvey looked over at her. Everytime he felt like he was calming down about the situation, seeing his sister break like this brought him right back to the present. He was so angry people could hurt her like that.

Ray started to drive as they headed towards the museum.

Emilie took a deep breath and leaned back on the seat.

Harvey just sighed."I know you don't want to talk about this. I wish we could just ignore it." He paused. "Why didn't you tell me Jason was visiting the cafe the last few weeks?"

Emilie squeezed her eyes shut. "I just..didn't want to bother you about all this shit anymore. I figured he would eventually give up, especially if I made it clear it wasn't bothering me."

Harvey narrowed his eyes at her, tilting his head slightly. "But it _was_ bothering you."

"Well, obviously. But I didn't want him to take my safe place away from me. That's not fair. He's already taken my home and sense of security and any fucking ounce of dignity I once had. So, I just let it happen." She opened her eyes again and rolled her head slightly to look over at her brother. "Plus, he mentioned you. That you're my brother. And he made some comment about how I was dating Finn… I was just scared to bring you any further into it."

Harvey didn't know how to reply to her. Unpacking her words as she spoke to him, it was clear she had been suffering through the unsolicited visits to her workplace. But instead of bringing it up, ringing any alarms, she just dealt with it. For the sake of protecting Harvey himself and her new relationship with Finn.

Emilie met Harvey's eyes. It was clear he was struggling to find a way to respond to her. It was always surprising when she managed to leave Harvey lost for words.

"Can we just make a deal for today? No more talk about anything related to this situation." She stuck her hand out towards him, as if making a business transaction.

Harvey just let out a breath and gave her a small smile. "Okay."

Harvey and Emilie spent the entire afternoon at the Museum of Modern Art. Harvey had to admit he actually had an enjoyable time. Not that he didn't appreciate art - growing up with two parents who were artists lead him to a very healthy respect and interest in art as a subject. He just often didn't find or make the time to do things that seemed so trivial. Spending hours wandering through the MoMA was almost therapeutic to him. He could ignore his phone and shut out the world for a while.

He even didn't mind listening to Emilie ramble on about pieces she liked and didn't like. In fact, he even let her talk him into buying a few new prints for his condo from the gift shop. And maybe a beautiful leather crossbody purse for Emilie, too.

"You really didn't have to do that, Harvey," Emilie was beaming as they left, clutching the small purse in her hands.

"Well, you were salivating over it and it is your birthday."

She paused as they got outside the museum, glancing up towards her brother. "I have an idea. You up for a subway ride?"

Harvey couldn't even remember the last time he took the subway.

"Why would I take the subway if I pay Ray to drive me around?"

"Live a little, Harvey." She smiled at him again and shoved his arm gently, to point him in the direction of the nearest subway station. A little while later, after changing lines three times, Harvey finally realized where they were going. That stupid little cafe in Astoria.

"You actually remember this place?" Harvey said to her incredulously, as he opened the door and followed her in.

"We have a lot of bad memories together." Emilie said quietly as she slid into a booth in the back of the cafe. "So, lately, I've been trying to remember the good memories, too."

"Katie and Marcus took you to see who on that trip?"

"Kelly Clarkson! Like, the highlight of my 14th year."

Harvey just smiled at her as he scanned over the menu.

"And I knew you were so unhappy being saddled with me that night-

"That's not true."

Emilie just laughed, "You don't have to lie to me. I used to be able to read you pretty well, you know."

"Well," Harvey looked back up at her. "I'm sorry about that. I know I wasn't always a very good brother to you." It was the first thing on a long list he wanted to apologize for.

"Harvey, you don't have to say that."

"It's true though, Em. And I don't apologize enough. I look back all the time and I feel like a jackass for fighting with my little sister over the stupidest shit. And for what?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a waitress coming by to take their order. She came back a few moments later with cups of coffee for them, too.

Harvey watched his sister closely. It was a strange deja vu in that very moment - she poured two and a half creamers, and half a spoonful of sugar into her coffee and stirred three times, before tapping the spoon on the side of her mug. Just like their mom.

Emilie noticed he was staring at her. "What?"

"You know, I spent a long time being mad at mom - which wasn't fair." Harvey was trying to find the words he needed to say but he was struggling. "But at least I apologized to her. But with you, I've been mad since the start and you didn't deserve that."

Emilie opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. She wasn't sure where this was coming from. She didn't want to stir anything else up but clearly her brother was wrestling with some things and she didn't want to take away his opportunity to be honest with her.

"To me you always represented this outcome of Mom's actions."

"I didn't choose how I was born." Emilie replied to him quietly.

Harvey shook his head. "I know, I know. Just let me finish." He sighed. "I've harboured this resentment towards you since the moment you were born and that's incredibly selfish of me. I just pushed it to the side and never dealt with it. I look at you sometimes and I see mom and I would let that just fester in me."

"Harvey.."

"Emmy, I'm sorry. If I could go back and change anything, I would yell at you less and care for you more. I think about all those big fights and all that time I thought you were being this difficult, annoying little sister when really, maybe you just wanted me to be a big brother to you, not an enemy."

"Of course I wanted you to be my big brother, Harvey! I mean, Marcus did a pretty good job filling that role but the more you showed you didn't like me, the more attention I wanted from you. Isn't that fucked up? I would just fight with you so you would even acknowledge my existence." She hung her head down and stared at the coffee mug. "That doesn't justify the terrible things I've said to you over the years. We can just gloss over the fight at the funeral but I know that was bad."

Harvey watched as she spoke, waves of guilt washing over him. He was supposed to be the adult all these years. He was the one who should have taken care of her.

"Well, we both said some pretty unforgivable things that day." Harvey pursed his lips and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I can't say sorry enough, Em. For all of this."

"Please don't blame yourself, Harvey. For any of it. It's useless now, anyway. You've been really redeeming yourself these last few months, anyway." She smirked at him, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe we both just need to try harder."

He let out a breath and finally broke into a small smile smile, "I think that's a reasonable ask."

"And let's stop apologizing to each other about the past. We can't change it but we can grow from it at least, right?"

"Okay, Mufasa."

Emilie rolled her eyes. "I was channeling my inner Rafiki, thank you."

* * *

On their way back to Harvey's, Emilie took a selfie with her brother on the subway to commemorate the moment. Much to his dismay, she sent it to Mike.

"I think it's just important to remember this moment. Harvey Specter, rider of the subway."

Harvey just rolled his eyes at her.

Emilie glanced down at her phone then up to Harvey. "I'm inviting Mike, Rachel and Finn over for movie night."

"None of your college friends?"

"The last time I made a Star Wars reference to Leah, she gagged. It is not her cup of tea."

About an hour later, Emilie, Harvey and Mike were all sitting in Harvey's living room. Harvey was loading the DVD player while Mike and Emilie argued.

"I figured we would at least be watching Return of the Jedi."

Emilie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Mike. "Hey, A New Hope introduced me to one of my favourite cinematic characters of all time."

"Look, I get it. Everyone loves Princess Leia-

"No, she has a weird love for C3PO." Harvey jumped in. "Are you two going to do this all night? Maybe the Zane family dinner would be more fun after all."

"Trust me, I will be much better off spending my night here instead of with Robert Zane. Plus, Rachel never lets me pick anything George Lucas related for movie night." Mike reached over to the coffee table and grabbed his beer. "Where's Finnegan?"

"He took an overtime shift apparently. Super last minute." Emilie just shrugged and pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged on the couch. "Let's do this, old man."

Harvey rolled his eyes and started the movie. The familiar score of Star Wars sounded through the living room as Mike dramatically read out the scrolling text, despite Harvey's protest.

Emilie smiled as she looked around the room. Overall, Harvey had done a pretty good job distracting her for the day. Tomorrow she had to work and go back to the real world, and she knew the week ahead was probably going to involve more work with the police and Greg. But in that very moment, with her brother and Mike, things were okay.

About halfway through the movie, just as Harvey and Mike were debating the merits of Han Solo, they each felt their phone buzzing with messages from Jon Finnegan himself.

His last minute overtime shift was just an excuse for what he was really doing - helping a team from a New Jersey precinct search through a house and office site belonging to Royale Contracting.

Both Harvey and Mike looked at the message on their phone: '_bad news and bad news: we found half a dozen hard drives with hours worth of camera footage from a bunch of different locations. and Jason Moore broke his probation and left the state. They think he's hiding out with some family in south Jersey.'_

Harvey couldn't help but swear under his breath.

Emilie noticed both of them glancing at their phones and gave Harvey a quizzical glance. "What's going on? Late night Louis correspondence?"

Mike glanced over at Harvey to see what he was going to say.

Harvey thought for a moment. They had been having a good day so far. He didn't want to ruin it. And he assumed Finn only told him and Mike for the same reason - let Emilie have a break from the mess today.

"He's prematurely trying to organize an office Secret Santa," Mike jumped in, putting his phone away. "Last time he tried this I got a homemade gift certificate to go mudding with him."

Emilie just laughed at the thought and turned her head back to the movie.

Harvey gave Mike a grateful glance and took a sip of his drink. They could push the mess away for one more night, for his sister's sake.

* * *

_A/N: listen y'all, I don't know how quickly the legal system works but I imagine mr Jon Finnegan tried to expedite this process to help out. I really liked this chapter - I think it was important for Harvey to get some things off his chest and for Emilie to hear them, too. There's still some guilt on both sides they need to figure out. _

_It's getting harder and harder to write this story - for the sole fact that I know it's coming to and end soon. Thank you all again for welcoming me into the Suits world and showing such an appreciation for my little story. Thank you to Rose4darvey, Andelin, cicia724, LilSparrow7 and the two Guests for reviewing. I'm so grateful to have such loyal readers and reviewers. Thank you thank you thank you!_


	14. Big Brother

Emilie woke up early on Sunday - way earlier than she wanted. She didn't have to be at the cafe until 8 but she was lying awake at six in the morning.

While she was grateful for her Saturday spent with her brother, she knew the inevitable needed to be faced.

She got out of bed after staring at the ceiling for a while and knocked on Harvey's door rapidly. She heard him stirring awake and grumbling. She took that opportunity to open the door.

"Harvey?" She glanced over at him lying in the bed as she stepped into his room.

"Em, it's early," Harvey mumbled out, laying his arm over his eyes.

"Sorry. I'm awake. I just keep thinking about all this stuff and this video and… I don't know what to do."

Harvey sighed. "Can you at least put on some coffee?"

Ten minutes later, Harvey was sitting at the island across from his sister. He sipped his coffee and motioned for her to continue talking.

"So, do I tell Ethan? I know it's the right thing to do but he's just such an awful person. But legally I should tell him? Like he's in the video too. Not that I can show him since hopefully the Internet has been scrubbed of it. But I don't want to talk to him in person but this is an in person conversation and -

"Em," Harvey put his coffee cup down and put his hand up to cut her off. "Take a breath."

She just sighed and crossed her arms, leaning on the counter.

Harvey thought for a moment. Legally, his sister didn't have to tell that cretin anything. Morally, maybe it was fair to give him a heads up. Above anything else, he knew the conversation he was about to have would be uncomfortable.

"So. Here's the thing." Harvey paused again. "I didn't want to tell you this last night but they found some hard drives. Presumably with video footage of, well, you know. And I'm sure sometime this week, maybe even today, they're going to ask you to come in and review it to confirm that, yes, it's you. And they're going to ask you who else is in it with you. This is to make sure all parties involved are protected and know of their legal rights and what happens next."

Emilie just stood and stared at him with wide eyes.

"So I have to go and scan through video footage that was taken of me, without any sort of consent, with some random police officer?" Emilie's voice was growing louder as she spoke.

"Emilie," Harvey wanted to calm her down. "Listen, I know this is uncomfortable but maybe Finn could-

"Oh fuck that, like I want Finn to see any more of _that _with _him._" She let out a frustrated moan and squeezed her eyes shut. "Did they at least arrest him?" She didn't want to say her landlord's name out loud anymore.

Harvey hesitated but he wished he hadn't. He didn't want to lie to her but the truth was difficult.

"I take this awkward pause to mean _no. _Why not? The video is from my apartment bathroom - isn't that enough to arrest him?" She was near yelling again.

"It is, of course. That's beyond means. But he left the state. They don't know where he is." Harvey figured being honest was the right thing to do. Even though he watched her closely as she listened - she was angry. Angry was better than sad.

"What the fuck?!" Emilie yelled out. "The legal system is garbage."

Harvey just sighed. His sister's feelings were fair and valid but he didn't like being yelled at before he finished his morning coffee.

"They're going to track him down. Don't worry. He's breached his probation so he'll stay in custody before he ends up prosecuted." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Is there anyone who could cover for you today? Maybe you need a break from work and -

"Harvey, I can't do that to Jackie. I'll be fine. I'll be fine. I just… do I tell him?" She knew Ethan was working that afternoon. It would be hard to continue avoiding him and that topic.

Harvey swallowed the lump in his throat. "Only if you feel comfortable. Otherwise, we'll figure out another way."

* * *

Finn was waiting for Emilie in the cafe when her shift was over that afternoon. She was so happy to see him again but she knew she had to talk to Ethan first.

Their interactions at work were minimal now. Emilie was disappointed by how their friendship had deteriorated - she didn't want it to end but once Ethan had provided to be such a dick, forcing himself onto her, everything had changed.

She knew if she had told Jackie about the situation he would have been fired. But Emilie didn't want that.

And their whole shift that morning and afternoon had been uncomfortable. They barely spoke but she told him, sternly, there was something she had to tell him.

At the end of her shift, Ethan met her in the kitchen area while Lora ran the front of the cafe.

"So, what's up, Em?" Ethan asked shortly.

His attitude irritated her immensely. He was the one who was in the wrong and had done wrong. Yet, he made it seem like she was the one at fault for their situation.

She paused and crossed her arms.

"You're not knocked up, are you?"

She almost choked. "No, augh. Of course not. Thank god for that."

She paused to try and find the words.

"Emilie, I don't have time to watch you think," Ethan rolled his eyes.

Before Emilie could reply, Finn stuck his head through the door.

"Em, everything okay?"

"Employees only, man." Ethan tried to shut the door but Finn pushed it open, standing his ground.

"Everything is okay. Just give me two minutes." Emilie just nodded at Finn, who sighed and closed the door. She knew he didn't go very far.

"Are you not allowed to talk to people without a bodyguard now?" Ethan crossed his arms and sat down on a stool.

"Can you shut up for two seconds?" Emilie spat at him.

He just rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"A few months ago I found a hidden camera in my apartment. After a long stupid battle in court, nothing came from the situation aside from having a shitty landlord. When they investigated, the cameras weren't hooked up."

"I knew there was something up with that guy."

"Yeah, well, I can't do anything about it now. Anyway. What I'm trying to tell you is that last week it came to my attention there was a video of us...online. Recorded from that camera in my bathroom."

"Wait. What?" Ethan jumped up from the stool. He seemed angry. "When did you find out about this? Where is it?"

"Like, Friday night." She sighed. "I mean, I knew about the camera a while ago but I was under the impression there wasn't any video footage until, well, someone showed me."

"Jesus Christ, Emilie. You didn't think to tell me about any of this before?"

"Well, I didn't want to tell you at all but it's the right thing to do." She rolled her eyes at him. "I just thought maybe you should have a heads up in case a detective from cyber crimes reaches out to you about it."

"And then what?"

"Well, I guess they will want to confirm who is in the video and give you some legal advice about what happens next and -

"Did you watch it?" Ethan's tone seemed to shift from angry to curious as he watched her talk. Emilie suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable as he looked at her. "I mean, don't you ever miss me, Em? We had a lot of fun." He took a step towards her, trying to grab her hand.

"Oh, stop it, Ethan. Don't you remember last month when you tried to take advantage of me?"

"Grow up, Emilie. Take advantage of you? Like hell that's what it was. You came over to have sex and then -

"Ethan, I very clearly said no and you didn't give a damn." She just rolled her eyes and turned to leave. "You know what, good fucking luck. I shouldn't have said anything about the video in the first place. Forgive me for trying to be kind."

Ethan grabbed her wrist as she turned and pulled her toward him. "You were just a waste of my time this summer, Bryant. This whole arrangement was just me doing you a favour, anyway. I'm sure it made for a pretty fucking boring video."

"Oh, fuck you, Ethan." She tried to free herself from his grip. "I faked it the whole time, by the way."

He went to grab her other wrist and she pushed him away. "God, you're such a bitch."

Suddenly the Employees Only door flew open as Finn came back into the room, fists up. "Let her go, man." Ethan dropped his grip.

"Finn, stop," Emilie called to stop him before he collided with Ethan. As much as she wanted to see Finn push him around, she didn't want to waste another ounce of energy on the situation. "Let's just go. I'm fine."

They headed out the front doors of the cafe and Emilie could tell Finn was visibly upset by what had just unfolded.

"Finn, he's not worth your anger."

"No, Em. He is. He has no right to speak to you that way or lay his hands on you. Especially if he -

"I can't waste anymore of my time on Ethan Jones. He sucks. He has no aspirations. He's charming and manipulative. I'm just going to tell Jackie about what's happened and she'll likely just let him go."

"Hey," Finn turned to her on the sidewalk and put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't deserve that. How he treated you."

She just gave him a small smile. "I know. And he didn't deserve any of my kindness. But I'm trying to be the bigger person here and you should too. Especially when you have a police badge on." She pointed to his shirt pocket, where his badge was still clipped.

"Shit. Okay. Very observant, Bryant." He let out his breath and put his arm over her shoulder as they continued to walk. "I'm just exhausted today."

"Well, let's just go grab some pizza and not worry about all this mess for a bit. Maybe have a nap."

"You and I both know when you say nap, you don't mean nap."

She just smirked at him. "You are correct, Detective."

Finn drove her home that night after their pizza date. He brought her all the way upstairs back to the apartment to discuss everything with her and Harvey both.

"So, they're going to reach out to Ethan and bring him in tomorrow to chat, too. Before you, though."

Emilie smiled at Finn. She knew he was still mad about her interactions with Ethan at the cafe and would do anything he could to keep their distance. Especially since Ethan had been texting her terrible things ever since she left that afternoon.

"So I need to be there around 3?"

Finn nodded.

"Come to the office and we can go together," Harvey said simply.

"Harvey, you don't have to come."

"You're right. I don't. But I'm going to. As your lawyer and your big brother." Harvey crossed his arms and turned his head back to Finn. "Any other news?"

"A family member tipped us off to somewhere he might be staying near the Pennsylvania border."

"Well, innocent people don't hide," Harvey muttered, nodding.

Finn just let out a laugh. "I know. At least it's pretty cut and dry once they find him."

Emilie just stared at the two of them. It was comforting, in a way, to be dating someone she knew her brother liked. Not that she needed his approval.

Harvey went to sit at his desk while Finn said goodbye to Emilie at the door.

"Oh by the way, this is for you. I meant to give it to you earlier but well, your bare skin was distracting."

Emilie shushed him and swatted his chest, blushing.

"Please don't make out while I'm within earshot!" She heard Harvey call down the hall.

They both laughed again. Finn pulled a small wrapped package out of his jacket pocket.

"Since I won't see you tomorrow. Happy early birthday, Em."

She immediately could tell it was a book. She tore open the package, revealing a copy of _The Hobbit_ in German.

"For your collection. I know it's kind of stupid but since you have the French one and two English ones and -

"I love it!" She brushed her hand across the detailed cover and flipped through the pages quickly. "Thank you. Wow. I don't know what to…" She trailed off, staring down at the book.

Finn was so kind. _So kind. _She was having a hard time understanding how he cared for her so much.

"Hey," Finn reached over and tilted her chin up. "I see your brain reeling. I just saw it at this little second hand shop in Brooklyn and it was screaming 'Finn, this is perfect for your girlfriend!' It's been hiding on my shelf for weeks."

"You bought this weeks ago?" She could have melted. "Wait, did you just call me your girlfriend?"

Finn's eyes went wide for a second. "I mean, that's what this is right? Sorry. I guess we didn't talk about this and -

She leaned up and kissed him. "Thank you, boyfriend." He pulled her into a tight hug. It was warm. The perfect warmth. He leaned down and kissed her again. And again. And ag-

Harvey yelled out again, "I can still hear you!"

* * *

Monday was Emilie's 24th birthday. She didn't mind her birthday, really. It was nice to celebrate but lately, it had been hard to have a positive attitude.

It was late afternoon and Emilie was sitting at the police station with her brother and Donna. Her knee was shaking up and down, a nervous twitch.

Emilie was waiting to speak with one of the cyber crime detectives to go over the video footage.

Harvey had choked his way through another uncomfortable situation with his sister and enlisted Donna for moral support. He obviously wasn't going to sit in while his sister reviewed that footage but Donna volunteered to be there. Although she did argue that Harvey should take them all out for drinks after since it was Emilie's birthday, after all.

As they sat there quietly, a door down the hall opened and Ethan walked out. He shook the hand of the detective and headed towards the door, pausing in front of Emilie. She noticed his nose was bruised and swollen.

"Em, hey," Ethan started, putting his hands in his pockets. He looked down at the ground. "Can we talk for a second?"

Emilie sighed. Considering how her conversation with him had gone yesterday, she wasn't in the mood. But he looked sincere in his ask. She glanced over at Harvey who remained stone faced.

She stood up and took a few steps away from her brother to talk to Ethan.

Harvey just stared at them while they talked.

"So, about your emergency last minute meeting this morning…" Donna turned to Harvey, watching his locked gaze across the room. She glanced down at Harvey's hands as they rested on his knees. He stretched out his right hand for a brief moment.

"Donna, I'm not going to sit idly by while that piece of shit continuously harasses my sister." Harvey sighed. "She told me about their conversation yesterday. She showed me all these messages he sent her after the fact. All this cruel, inappropriate, accusatory shit and…"

"I hope you didn't punch him in front of any customers. Or get blood on those pastries you brought back to the office."

A few moments later, Emilie returned to her chair between the two of them. Ethan nodded at Harvey as he left through the stairwell.

"Well?" Harvey prompted her.

"He apologized like twenty times for everything," Emilie replied to him, turning her head. "I told him he probably needs to ice his nose."

Harvey just nodded. "You're right. He probably does."

Neither of them said anything else. Harvey was sure his sister could put two and two together but he had a feeling she would never bring it up. And maybe that was okay.

"Miss Bryant?" Emilie looked over as one of the detectives approached them. She just stood up and nodded. Donna stood up too, looking over at the young girl. They both walked down the hall into the room and the door closed behind them.

Harvey let out the breath he had been holding and squeezed his eyes shut. The last few days had been a lot to deal with but he was hoping the end was near. He felt like he had lost years off his life.

Finn had filled him in on what happened at the cafe and Harvey had been livid. He was sick and tired of Ethan Jones being an insufferable human, especially to his sister. He had made an impulsive decision that morning to visit him at the cafe and ask to have a conversation.

It got even worse when he made some snide comments about Emilie. That was it for Harvey. His hand collided with Ethan's face so quickly he almost missed it himself. It was stupid, really. But it did the trick. And it made Harvey feel a bit better.

He would finally feel some peace when he knew Jason Moore was back in police custody and on his way to be sentenced.

Emilie had insisted this would have to stay quiet. She didn't want her parents to know it got this far. And Harvey had to agree.

He really felt that he had failed his sister through this whole mess. He hadn't been able to protect her. He had let her down and their whole family. What good was his position and money and power and prowess if he let his pride get in the way?

He saw his sister crumble so many times over the years and the last few months had hit him the hardest of all.

It gave him plenty of time for reflection lately. Sure, he and Emilie had sort of put everything on the table at the diner the other night. But he was still wrestling with his guilt. He should have been better, he should have swallowed his pride, he should have helped her. He should have reached out and made peace with her when he did with his mom. Why did he let such a spitfire like Emilie have such a strong hold over his thoughts? Why did he have such a hard time showing that he actually cared for her and loved her?

His train of thought was interrupted.

"Well, if it isn't Harvey Specter himself in a police station. What a sight to be seen. I figured it was bound to happen someday."

Just the sound of Patrick Boone's voice made Harvey irritated.

He looked up to see Patrick standing in front of him in - slicked hair, smarmy smile, tacky pea coat.

"Patrick," Harvey stood up and plastered a smile on his face. "I hear one of your clients broke probation last week. Have you thought about explaining how the legal system works to them?"

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Once that invoice was paid, I washed my hands of that. I usually don't keep tabs on them after a win." He squared his shoulders back and glanced down at his watch. "How's the drama queen, anyway?"

Harvey pursed his lips. He could stand here and battle with Boone about anything but the last thing he was going to tolerate was him talking about Emilie.

"Listen, I understand you're just doing your job when you fight for the bad guys. But my sister was nothing but a victim caught in the cross fire. That son-of-a-bitch will enjoy a long jail sentence when this is wrapped up and I hope you sleep soundly washing your hands of it." Harvey didn't even realize his voice was growing in volume and he had his hand pointing at Patrick's chest.

Patrick grabbed his hand and threw it away from his chest. "You need to remove yourself from the emotions of it all, Harvey." Patrick smirked at him and adjusted his coat. "Your sister learned a lesson in all this, I hope."

Before Harvey could reply, he heard the door down the hall open. He saw Donna take a step out and look down towards him. "Harvey?" She waved her hand rapidly for him to come down to the room. The officer in the room slipped out in front of Donna, mentioning he would give them some time.

Harvey turned away from Patrick and hurried down the hall.

"I'm going to go find some water but I think your sister is on the cusp of an anxiety attack," Donna patted him on the arm and headed steadfast down the hall to find water.

Harvey looked into the small room to see Emilie pacing. There was a closed laptop on the table.

"Emilie." Harvey walked in and closed the door behind him. "Come and sit." He took a seat and pulled another chair to the same side of the table. He watched her as she paced - breaths rapid, eyes shut, mumbling to herself.

"You know, I distinctly remember you telling me that one day I would understand the real world and it wouldn't be forgiving." She stopped pacing and dropped onto a chair beside him. "You were right." She crossed her arms onto the table and rested her head.

"Emmy, I really wish I wasn't this time." He reached his arm over and rubbed her back.

"What do I do now, Harvey?" She stayed resting on the table but she seemed to be calming down. "I can't wrap my head around all this. Thousands of people saw some weird sex tape of me and I can't undo it. It's out there. And like maybe it's gone from that website but who knows who else has a copy of it and" She stopped and raised her head up to look at him. "That guy from cyber crimes told me they found footage from a few other rental properties. All in the bathroom. So now they have to find all those people and tell them about this and try to track down the files online. That's so messed up."

Harvey was really at a loss. In the past, he usually left Mike to deal with the emotional side of cases. But this time, it wasn't a case. It was his sister and he wished he could help her get through this suffering.

On her birthday, of all days.

Emilie leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "Harvey, I'm just tired. Of everything. I don't want this life anymore. I want to go back in time and just… change everything."

"Emmy," Harvey said quietly. "This isn't your fault."

"I know that! I wish people would stop saying that. Please." She stopped and took a breath. "Sorry. I'm sure you're tired of me yelling at you. You don't deserve to be yelled at."

Harvey just gave her a half smile. "I would rather you yell at me than not talk to me at all, Em."

She sighed. It was moments like this she was reminded of how far she and her brother had come over the last few months.

There was a knock at the door. It opened to reveal Donna holding a bottle of water. She took a few steps in and handed it to Emilie.

"Thanks, Donna," Emilie said as she opened it to sip.

"The officer said that's all they needed from you so we're free to go. Whenever you're ready."

Emilie just nodded. She didn't want to stay any longer. She was grateful for Harvey - listening to her rant, talking her down.

She was grateful to Donna, too. She had sat beside her in that room while Emilie stared uncomfortably at the screen and answered questions for the officer. At least the worst of it was over.

"You ready?" Harvey stood up and extended his hand out to his sister.

She nodded and grabbed his hand as helped her to her feet.

"So. Dinner?" Donna looked between the two of them as they walked out of the building.

"Don't you both have to get back to the office?" Emilie knew it was a lot for them both to leave in the middle of a workday. Especially on a Monday afternoon. It was only five o'clock. They could both jump back into their piles of emails.

"The office can wait until tomorrow." Harvey said sternly.

"We need to celebrate the last year of your early 20s. Considering next year you'll be closer to 30." Donna nudged Emilie on the shoulder, smiling.

"What a droll reminder." Emilie added in. "Although, if we're doing the math, this makes Harvey nearly 45 which is -

"Another year closer to 50. But what a handsome old man he still is."

Ray pulled up outside.

"Hey now," Harvey interjected their banter. He was happy to see his sister's mood lifting even if it came at his expense. "Did you see George Clooney at 45? A silver fox."

Emilie rolled her eyes as she climbed into the back of the car, "You're no Clooney, Harvey."

"A Russell Crowe, at best." Donna concluded as she slid in behind Emilie.

Harvey just rolled his eyes as he shut the door behind Donna, getting into the front seat.

* * *

They dropped Donna off after dinner and headed back to Harvey's.

The dinner with Harvey and Donna had been a perfect ending to the day. It was nice to laugh and actually understand things going on in her brothers life. Donna spent most of the night telling Emilie stories about their first couple years working together in the DA's office. And detailed accounts of Harvey's dating history.

Once they got inside, Emilie tore into the cheesecake she had taken to go at the restaurant.

She leaned on the island and offered a fork to Harvey. He dropped onto a stool and took a bite.

"So, I imagine this is up there for your worst birthday experience ever?"

Emilie just laughed and put her fork down to think.

"Honestly, I'm not sure." She paused. "I think it was my tenth birthday… I was at school. I shared a birthday with this other kid in my class, Noah Stevenson. His mom came in at lunch and brought in cupcakes. I went home that day and mom was laying in bed. Dad was out of town working. Marcus was going to take me to dinner but ended up working a double shift. I didn't even hear from you so I assume you forgot." She sighed. "So, while spending the afternoon at the police station sucked, at least I didn't have to make a grilled cheese and eat a cupcake with Noah Stevenson's basketball number on it."

Harvey took another bite of the cheesecake and stared at her. He cracked a smile. "That was bleak."

Emilie couldn't help but laugh. "You asked! And hey, things got better over time. I think it was when I turned 12 we had that awkward family dinner at Marcus and Katie's place. You brought some date and it was uncomfortable. But at least we tried and at least we were together."

"I remember that. I don't think I made it to dessert."

Before Emilie could continue her phone was vibrating. It was their mom. She had meant to call her back earlier but well, it had been a rough afternoon.

Emilie answered it and put it on speakerphone, much to Harvey's dismay.

"Hey mom," she said as she rolled her eyes at Harvey's annoyed face. "You're on speaker."

"Hi mom," Harvey chimed in.

"I just wanted to call and finally say Happy Birthday to my baby girl," Lily sang out through the phone. "Harvey, I hope you took your sister out for dinner."

"My credit card indicates I took her somewhere very nice," Harvey replied.

"Well, I just wanted to check in and see how things were going. And I wanted to tell you me and Bobby are going down to Jacksonville for Thanksgiving. It's Margo's 75th birthday so we wanted to surprise them."

Emilie just shrugged. Her great Aunt Margo was a fun old lady but she was grateful to have to miss the event. Mainly to avoid seeing her dad's extended family.

"That means you're going to miss Emilie cooking a turkey in my kitchen," Harvey added in. He knew Marcus, Katie and the kids were coming to the city that weekend but hadn't heard back from his mother. He was a little relieved he didn't have to host his stepfather.

Emilie just laughed. "Yeah, fat chance. We're ordering in. I will only bake desserts for the occasion."

Their phone call ended a few moments later and the siblings fought over the last few bites of cheesecake.

Emilie licked her fork clean and dropped it on the counter. "So, what about you? Worst birthday?"

Harvey sighed. "Let's see. Maybe when I turned 19. Mom had just left. Marcus and I went for pizza. He told me mom was pregnant with you."

Emilie opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. She was certain he didn't mean that offensively but there was a twinge of animosity in his voice.

"Also my best birthday, though, Em." Harvey stood up and grabbed the remains of the to-go container and the forks. He circled past Emilie and nudged into her. "Despite our tumultus history, I love you, kid."

"Yeah, I love you too, old man."

* * *

_A/N: awww I love these two dummies. And I told ya Harvey was going to punch someone before this mess was over. Harvey will take no shit anymore when it comes to Emilie. But come on, a big family dinner for Thanksgiving will be a breeze right? Completely drama free? Let's only hope. I just need to brace you all that this wraps up in Chapter 15. I promise you it'll be good - juicy and long and full of banter and love! _

_Thank you thank you thank you again to everyone who reads and has enjoyed this story. I didn't know where my little idea was taking me so quickly but the last few months have been such a whirlwind. I don't want to let these characters go yet! So don't be surprised to see me again in the future. I'm mainly an OC writer. Once I'm done season nine watching we'll see what inspires me!_

_Thank you to Andelin, LilSparrow7, and cicia724 for reviewing. I always appreciate your thoughts and feedback and excitement! All my love!_


	15. Harvey and Emilie

_A/N: Hello dear readers! Here is chapter fifteen and the wrap up of Emilie's story. I never dreamed how this would all play out as it did and I am so grateful to have had this experience. I would not have been half as invested if it weren't for all the lovely people out there reading along the way. _

_Thank you so so so much to everyone who reviewed and shared their thoughts with me from chapter to chapter. It was so helpful and encouraging. Thank you to Carolina (guest), Rose4Darvey, ematutina, Andelin and cicia724 for the reviews on chapter 14. I just can't explain how my heart swells with gratitude for all your thoughts and feelings and kind words!_

_As I said previously, I am having a hard time letting go of Emilie and Harvey but I know this story had to end. That being said, I'm not marking this as complete just yet. For now, yes. But there might be something else swirling around in my mind so I can't let this be completely complete. _

_Anyways, thank you again, from the bottom of my heart._

* * *

Less than a week later, Jason Moore was in NYPD custody again.

In fact, he had turned himself in.

Finn had kept most of the details about the arrest and entire situation to himself, even though Emilie wanted to know more. She was grateful he was trying to rid her of any extra stress over the situation, but she felt it was her right to know.

Jason Moore would remain in police custody for a few days until he got in front of a judge.

The Monday before Thanksgiving, Emilie was feeling defeated. She thought there might be a sense of relief in knowing everything was finally over but she felt like everything hit her at once. She was drained. She skipped her Monday morning class, much to Harvey's annoyance. He let it go - even though he knew she knew better.

Harvey came home Monday night to find her wrapped up on his couch, staring at the television.

He was relieved to know Jason Moore had turned himself in. It didn't undo the frustration that still lingered about the entire situation, but there was a shred of comfort in knowing that justice would be served soon enough.

He was also _pissed_. Jason Moore had only turned himself in under the guise of getting a deal - he was placing the blame on his own brother instead and thought he should avoid jail time. It was a mess. And if it went to trial again, Emilie would likely have to go on the stand _again. _Both Harvey and Finn decided they would keep that detail to themselves until his preliminary trial.

"So, Katie told me she's relieved she doesn't have to cook on Thursday," Harvey said to his sister was he walked in, taking a seat on the arm chair.

Emilie picked her head up from the pillow it was laying on and smiled, then turned her head back to the TV.

"Your class was canceled today?" Harvey continued the conversation, although it seemed like his sister was not interested.

"Mmm hmmm," Emilie mumbled out.

"Seems strange this late in the semester."

Emilie sighed. "Well, my professor has the flu so he couldn't make it in." She was lying. Harvey knew she was lying. Emilie knew he knew.

Stupid Harvey senses.

"Talk to me, Em." Harvey grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

Emilie just groaned and flipped over on the couch so her face was buried. "I have nothing to say."

"You know, I don't care if you skipped class and stayed home because you need some time to work through all this shit. But I don't want you to lie to me about it."

"Can you just leave me alone?"

"Did something happen with Finn?"

Emilie wanted to die at that question. "Oh my god, no. Please stop."

Harvey sighed. "Have you eaten anything today?"

She didn't respond.

"I'm ordering dinner and we're going to go sit at the table and eat together." Harvey's words came out like an order, not an option. An hour later, Emilie dragged herself off the couch and sat at the table with Harvey. They sat quietly. When they were done, she said she was going to read for what she missed in class then go to bed.

Harvey sighed. He really thought they were past these messy parts but Emilie was still going through the paces with empty eyes more often than not. Maybe talking her through it wasn't helping anymore. She needed someone better, a professional even. And maybe, she needed some tough love.

The next morning Harvey was banging on his sister's door to get her up. "Em, c'mon. I know you have an 8:30 class."

He opened the door to see her still curled up in bed.

"It was cancelled," she mumbled out, readjusting and turning away from him.

"Bullshit." He turned the light on and stood over top of her bed, arms crossed. "I'm not going to let you do this anymore."

"Harvey, I'm not lying this time," she sat up and grabbed her phone. She handed it off to him, showing off an email from her teacher about class. "I still have an assignment that I already handed in. Which means I can lay in bed until work."

Harvey glanced at her phone and let out a breath. "No, you're getting out of bed right now."

She gave him a confused glance then laughed. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." He reached down and threw her blankets onto the ground.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed to him, "What is wrong with you?"

"We're going to the gym. C'mon. Get up." Harvey pointed at her. "Let's go, Bryant."

"When you say my name like that you sound like a warden," Emilie fell back into her pillows. "So, pass. Also, don't you have to be at work in like an hour?"

"I'm going in late. So, get up." He reached down again and pulled the pillow out from under her head. "You have ten minutes to get ready." He grabbed her bedding and headed out of her room. Emilie groaned again.

She wasn't sure what had gotten into her brother but she was annoyed. Why couldn't he just let her wallow? She wasn't sure what was still leaving her feeling so broken but she wanted to just stay in bed and figure it out herself.

Less than a minute later, she could hear Harvey hollering her name again.

She sighed. "I'm up! You can stop yelling, please."

An hour later, Emilie and Harvey were standing in a boxing ring. Emilie had to admit that when her brother said they were going to the gym, she didn't think this is what he meant. She had some recollection that Harvey boxed but she didn't realize it was something he still did recreationally.

As she tied her hair into a ponytail, she watched as Harvey talked to someone at the side of the ring. He came back with a pair of boxing gloves and some of those practice mitts.

"Is this all necessary?" Emilie said to him with her eyebrows raised. Harvey extended the gloves to her. She took them from him but just held them in her hands.

"Em, I know you're feeling a lot of things about this mess and -

"I don't want to talk about my feelings anymore, Harvey."

"Yeah, I can understand that. But you still have to do something with them. You can't just ignore them forever. We're in the homestretch of putting your piece of shit landlord in jail and you can hardly even stand upright these days." Harvey sighed. "You've haven't smiled in a week."

"Well, literally no part of me feels positive these days," Emilie said quietly, staring at the gloves in her hands.

"Just put them on," Harvey said as he stretched his arms.

"Then I get to punch you?"

"Well, not my face or anything. This is the money maker." Harvey pointed at his face and smirked at his sister, hoping to elicit a response.

Emilie rolled her eyes.

"Just one punch, okay? I promise you'll feel better."

Emilie sighed. Her brother was annoying her but at least he was trying. Months ago, this would have been a foreign concept. In fact, months ago they weren't talking. Months ago, Emilie didn't give two thoughts to her brother and his life. And Harvey probably didn't think about her, either.

But here he was, giving up time at work to try to help her. And she wasn't making it very easy.

She slipped her hands into the gloves and reached out to Harvey to tighten them on her wrists. He smiled at her as he did it, starting to spout off a few basic boxing techniques.

"It seems pretty straight forward, Harvey," she said to him, moving her hands around to get used to the feeling of the gloves.

Harvey watched her as she moved, then slid his hands into the practice mitts. He held them up in front of him and raised his eyebrows at her.

She threw a punch forward and hit one of his hands.

"C'mon, I know you can do better than that," Harvey commented. She threw a few more punches, this time with a bit more force. Harvey smirked, nodding. He took a few steps to the side and she followed him as he moved.

She was steady in her punches and Harvey watched as her determination grew with every hit. She was taking slow, controlled breaths as she did.

"So, tell me why you're upset," Harvey said, watching her closely. She stopped and pulled her hands down.

"I'm not upset," she replied.

He motioned for her to keep punching as she talked. She rolled her eyes and punched his hands again. "I'm not upset."

"You are." Harvey was pushing her on purpose. He didn't want her to sugarcoat things anymore.

"Harvey," she said his name as if to try and shut him up.

"It's over, Em," Harvey continued, "They arrested him."

Emilie nodded, pausing again. "Sure. So what? What's next? What happens now?" Harvey just looked at her, baiting her to continue. "What happens if he pleads not guilty again? What if more video footage leaks online? What if someone in his family starts to stalk me at the coffee shop? What if Ethan wants to sue me for some sort of emotional damage?"

The speed of her punches increased as she erupted. She planted her feet as Harvey stood in front of her. "What if Finn decides this was all too much? What if this stupid video follows me around for the rest of my life? What if some stranger recognizes me because he watched it a dozen times?"

"Em," Harvey knew he should stop her from spiraling. He tried to pull his hands down but she kept hitting. "Emilie."

"What if this is it for us, Harvey? You helped me out, you did your part as lawyer and brother. So what happens now? What if we don't talk for months again? What happens to us now that this is over?"

She didn't have to spell it out anymore. Harvey understood now. Despite this mess being wrapped up, his sister was _scared._ Suddenly, facing the next steps, the unknown of everything, was manifesting itself in fear. She was closing herself off, building up her wall, shutting him out because she was scared about what their relationship might look like now.

"Em, stop." Harvey leaned away as he fists flew. She dropped her arms and leaned over for a moment, catching her breath.

"Emilie." Harvey pulled off his mitts and reached his hands out to put them on her shoulders. She looked back up at him. She wasn't crying but she was clearly overwhelmed and nervous about how he was going to react. "A little while ago I had to decide that this goddamn mess with that _finch _in your old apartment had to have happened for a reason. Whatever that reason is - putting some guy in jail or the ripple effect of helping those other people."

Emilie just nodded her head. She relaxed as he talked.

He continued. "But above anything else, it brought you and I together again. So what happens now is that we both continue to make an effort and be in each other's lives. Wherever you end up living, we both have to try, okay?"

She let out the breath she had been holding and nodded. She was especially grateful to Harvey in that moment - he was putting the onus on both of them moving forward.

They had to play fair and look out for each other. It didn't have to be Emilie vs. Harvey anymore.

It was Emilie _and _Harvey now.

* * *

Emilie had convinced Harvey to really commit to hosting Thanksgiving dinner. To a point where their small family dinner was suddenly a dozen people infiltrating Harvey's home.

Marcus, Katie, Matt and Haley were up for the weekend. Harvey got them a suite at the Four Seasons with a view of the annual Macy's parade for Haley.

Rachel and Mike were going to join them for dinner, too. The Zane family was heading West for the holiday but Rachel had opted to stay in the city, under the guise of a busy work schedule but she was really just looking forward to a break from her family. Donna was also joining them for dinner. And because of a last minute shift change, Finn was coming too.

True to her word, Emilie spent the morning of Thanksgiving baking desserts. Harvey arranged for the food delivery and Donna came over early with some decor to help had some warmth to the place.

By four o'clock, the place was full and the food was just finishing warming up.

"So," Marcus joined his brother on the balcony, handing him a beer. "What do we think of Emilie's boyfriend?"

Harvey let out a laugh as he leaned on the balcony, glancing through the doors into the living room. Emilie was standing in the kitchen with Finn, and Haley was sitting on the stool across from them. They were all laughing.

"Finn is a nice guy. I mean, he already gets extra points for putting up with her," Harvey laughed. "She's been dealing with a lot of shit lately and he's been good to her."

"I guess there's some peace of mind knowing she's dating a cop."

"Yeah, hopefully she doesn't get arrested again."

After their boxing session earlier in the week, things finally seemed to settle in a good way for Emilie. The last thing they were all waiting for the final verdict on her landlord's prosecution. Apparently he had been in front of a judge yesterday but no one knew what happened.

Harvey had discussed their living situation, too. He pitched the idea of Emilie subletting from Jessica's cousin for her next semester. Or she was free to stay with him.

The apartment was in Midtown and walking distance from NYU. But Emilie also knew it was well beyond her means. Harvey said she could pay what she was paying for her place in Queens and he would cover the rest. She argued with him about it briefly then finally conceded, overwhelmed with gratitude for her hot headed brother. They were going to check out the apartment the next week and Emilie would move in after Christmas.

Things were okay for Emilie. She was happy Finn had joined them for dinner and she held back while Marcus grilled him with questions after they shook hands. She knew her brothers were protective so she just let it go.

Emilie and Finn were talking with Haley at the island when Finn got a phone call. He excused himself down the hall while Emilie chatted with her niece.

"Anyway, dad said I'm not allowed to play any brass instruments in music class. Or I can't bring them home. But I don't want to play piano anymore," Haley was going on and on about her upcoming music classes, feeling inspired after watching marching bands in the parade all morning. Emilie just smiled at her.

"I think you should go for percussion, Hales. Be a drummer."

"I vote no on drums!" Katie piped up from the living room. She was sitting with Rachel, Mike and Donna. Matt was off in the corner going through Harvey's record collection.

"What about guitar?" Mike suggested as he walked into the kitchen to grab a drink from the fridge.

"Bass guitar, even," Emilie agreed. "Then you can join a band!"

Marcus and Harvey came back in from outside and joined in. "My daughter is not joining a band."

"How about starting a band instead?" Haley piped in, shooting Marcus a playful smile.

"No band!" Marcus repeated, leaning in to kiss his daughter on the forehead. "That means no band boys breaking your heart."

"Harvey," Finn came back into the room and motioned for Harvey to speak with him. Emilie followed them with her eyes and tried to listen to their hushed voices down the hall. Mike gave her a look, as she assumed they were both sharing the same thoughts at the moment.

She suddenly heard her brother spouting off a chorus of Thank yous to Finn. They both came back into the kitchen with looks of relief on their face. Harvey went straight to the oven to check on dinner as Finn slipped his arm over Emilie's shoulders.

"It's over, Em," Finn said quietly.

"What?"

She watched as he pulled out his phone and showed her a message in his email inbox. It said both Jason Moore and his brother had been sentenced and were both about to spend 3-5 years in prison for various charges ranging from filming someone without their consent, to breaking probation to perjury for lying during the first trial. The judge had rushed the verdict yesterday and denied his plea for a full trial.

Emilie felt her whole body relax as she read it. It really was finally over. She had never felt so relieved in her life.

After dinner and desserts, everyone was sitting at the table sipping their glasses of wine. Smiling. Laughing. Haley had crashed on the couch and Matt was sitting in the armchair watching videos on his phone.

"So, I was thinking," Emilie said as she looked around the table, "We need to go out and celebrate."

"Tonight?" Katie stifled a yawn as she looked at her watch. "What are we celebrating?"

"The justice system finally working in our favour." Emilie took a sip from her glass. "And I never get to see both my brothers at once. So, karaoke?"

"I mean, it's only eight o'clock. I'm down for some Thanksgiving karaoke," Mike said, glancing at Rachel who nodded in agreement.

"Well, if you guys want to go, the kids and I can go back to the hotel and crash," Katie said to Marcus. "Because I care more for sleep than I do hearing you and your siblings sing off key, half drunk."

"Hey, I sing on-key," Emilie defended herself.

"And I plan on being fully drunk," Harvey added in, smiling to himself. He looked over at Donna. "You in?"

"Only if you'll duet with me, Specter."

It wasn't very much later that their whole group was piling into Emilie's favoured karaoke bar near NYU. She was honestly shocked everyone had gone along with her idea and was even more surprised that her stone-faced, disagreeable brother Harvey was there with a smile on his face.

As Emilie sat in the booth, surrounded by this swarm of people, she couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness. The last 13 weeks of her life had been a mess. Hell, the last eight months of her life had been a mess. But she had managed to come out on the other side a bit different. Her perspective had changed, her guard had been let down, her heart had been opened. She never dreamed she could have an amicable relationship with Harvey anymore. She didn't think she could find someone who she could fall in love with. She didn't think support systems full of caring people existed. Yet, here she was.

Donna started their night off with a very passionate rendition of a Cher song. Emilie glanced over at Harvey, who couldn't take his eyes off of her as she sang. She felt a sudden urge to lecture her brother on his love life and how he should _go for it_ with Donna, but she didn't want to upset him. She just hoped with enough time he would open his eyes to what was presenting itself in his life.

"Harvey! Em!"

Both Emilie and Harvey turned their attention to Marcus as he came back to the table with a pitcher of beer and what appeared to be a line of small shot glasses.

"I don't think so," Harvey held up his hand as Marcus tried to pass a small glass to him.

"Hey, this is a special occasion," Marcus replied to him, forcing the shot into his hand. "I can't picture any other instance where not only will you, me and the kid be in a bar together in the city, but where I'm feeling delirious enough to pay for tequila shots. So, when in Rome, Harv."

"You know, the first shot of tequila I ever had was from some bottle I found hiding in your old stuff in mom's basement," Emilie nudged Harvey on the arm as she joked. She took the glass from Marcus and slid over for him to sit. She was sandwiched between the two of them now, each of them primed with a shot glass.

Emilie glanced across the table and saw Mike grabbing his phone. She smirked at him, grateful he was on the same page as her.

"To clarify, this is the first and last time I am doing this with you," Harvey said to his sister, letting out a breath.

"Thanks for letting loose, old man."

Marcus looked at them both, then back to his glass. "Let's not tell Katie about this one. Ready? 3, 2 -"

The tequila shots were only the beginning of their night. It was a bit of a mess, overall. But no one was kicked out and no one threw up, at least not at the bar.

It was well past midnight when Harvey, Emilie, Marcus and Finn were walking back to Harvey's. Finn had stayed sober for the evening, in case he was called in to work, and was getting a lot of enjoyment out of the three siblings.

Emilie was hanging off Finn's arm as they walked while Harvey and Marcus were in some trivial argument about _something_.

"No, no, Miss Wilson was the hot English teacher," Marcus insisted to his brother as they paused at a crosswalk.

"No, Wilson was old. Like, old. Like, a grandmother old." Harvey rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Still hot!"

"Wait, did you have Wilson?" Harvey turned and pointed at his sister. "Was she still alive when you graduated?"

"I did have some old lady for English in junior year, honestly, I don't remember much of that class," Emilie added in, shrugging.

"Not surprising. We were all shocked when you graduated, Em," Marcus laughed, as they started to cross the street.

"Hey! I may have had a terrible attendance record but I still managed an impressive GPA! And I walked across the stage in that stupid cap and gown, not that either of you made the ceremony."

"I'm sure I was in court that day," Harvey shrugged at her, a smirk on his face.

Finn offered to drop Marcus off at his hotel on his way home. Harvey thanked him and preemptively apologized if he threw up in his car.

Harvey's home was still a mess from hosting dinner - dishes piled on the counter, leftover glasses of wine on the table, terrible turkey decor taped across the room. He felt a sense of peace as he looked around.

It had been a long time since Harvey had hosted a dinner for his family. In fact, he knew it was the first time he had that many people invited over for any event. He watched as Emilie grabbed a half empty bottle of red wine from the table and took a drink from it. He sighed as poured himself a glass of water.

If anyone had told him four months ago where he would be at that very moment, he would have rolled his eyes and swore to their face.

Yet here he was, happy to be sitting in the remaining mess of a Thanksgiving dinner with his little sister dropping down beside him on the couch.

He remembered all those instances of feeling such animosity and jealousy towards Emilie. He had tried so hard to dismiss those feelings over the years - it wasn't her fault that her parents marriage dissolved. It wasn't her fault their mom had created such a void of feelings in him. It wasn't her fault he had his own walls up and couldn't let people in.

Yet for so long, it was easy to propel the blame onto her.

_It was late spring and the air was warmer than usual in Boston._

_Harvey was having dinner with his father and Marcus. Well, he was supposed to be having dinner with his father and Marcus. But his brother was late._

_They were sitting in the backyard at Gordon's house, a few steaks on the grill. Gordon was rattling on about a new woman he had been seeing, but Harvey wasn't listening. It had nearly seven years since their family had fallen apart and even though his father had every right to move on and date around, it was still not something Harvey was interested in talking about. _

_Even coming back to Boston for a long weekend was a lot to ask these days but he was about to start a new job at the District Attorney's office and knew this may be one of his last slow weekends for the next while. The least his brother could do was show up on time._

_Harvey was on his second beer and just about to plate their food when Marcus finally showed up at the gate in the backyard._

"_Hey, sorry I'm so late," Marcus said as he joined them on the deck. He had a small bag in his hand. "Marie had the time wrong for pick up."_

_Harvey handed him a beer as he joined them at the table and bit his tongue to hold back from making a comment. He knew Marcus occasionally watched their little sister after school before her grandmother picked her up. _

"_So, how's the little lady?" Gordon turned his head to look at Marcus, a warm smile on his face._

"_You don't have to do that, dad," Marcus said quietly with a shrug._

"_Hey." Gordon put his beer down and shifted to look at his son. "While I hold a lot of disdain for Lily, I can't ignore the fact that she brought a beautiful little sister into this world for you two. And I'm glad you're in her life, Marcus."_

_Marcus gave his dad a grateful smile. Harvey remained muted as he got up to grab the steaks off the barbeque. He hated that every single dinner they had escalated into a discussion about his mother and sister. Was it too much to ask for some time with his brother and father without the stark reminder of their damaged family? Wasn't it easier to just ignore it?_

"_Well, in that case, Emmy did send me with paintings for both of you. I mean, she is six so I couldn't tell you what they are or anything." Marcus reached into the bag at his side and revealed two small canvases with a series of coloured swirls and designs on them._

_It made Harvey's heart hurt just looking at them. Not only did his mom produce a precarious, sassy little girl but she also inherited their mother's penchant for art. His mother was inescapable._

_Gordon took the small painting with a calm smile. Harvey knew his father had conflicting feelings about it but he played along._

"_I think she said this is Central Park. That's all she knows about New York so she thinks you live there," Marcus joked with Harvey, showing him the mini canvas full of greenery. _

"_Thanks." Harvey said as he grabbed at the painting. She had even signed her name illegibly in the bottom corner. He swept his fingers over a few of the brush strokes._

"_I'm supposed to take her to her gymnastics lessons tomorrow morning. If you want to come along."_

_Harvey put a plate down in front of his brother. "I'll pass."_

_Marcus rolled his eyes. "C'mon Harv, you hardly get to see her."_

"_Have you considered I prefer it that way?" Harvey put down the last two plates for himself and his dad, then sat across from his brother._

"_Harvey," Gordon looked over at his son, "You shouldn't avoid your sister for my sake."_

_Harvey rolled his eyes this time. "It's not about you, dad. It's about mom and Emilie's father." He wouldn't even speak his name. "It is much easier for my to keep my distance." Truthfully, he knew spending time with his sister and building memories with her was the right thing to do. He knew that deep down. But it was just as easy to ignore that part of his life. It was easier that way, safer._

"_Oh, c'mon Harv," Marcus pointed his fork at him. "You know, she asks about you all the time."_

"_That's great. Listen, I'm glad she's happy and well. But just because I share a mother with her, does not mean I have to be in her life. That's my choice."_

_Before Marcus could cast out a heated response, Gordon jumped in. "Maybe we should drop this and enjoy our dinner, boys. But Harvey, I'm going to say one more thing and maybe you won't change your mind. Unfortunately you don't get to choose your family and Emilie didn't pick hers. But she may never understand why her brother Harvey kept himself away from her life."_

Harvey glanced over at his sister as she kicked her legs up onto his coffee table. She still had the bottle of wine in her hand. She was scrolling through her phone with the other.

"I'm going to keep this video of you and Donna doing _Total Eclipse of the Heart_ forever," Emilie said with a laugh, showing the screen to her brother.

Harvey smiled. "Hey kid."

She rolled her eyes. "How have we come full circle here?"

"I just want to say sorry for being a terrible brother growing up."

She sighed and leaned into him. "Harvey, we went over this a while ago. You don't have to apologize anymore."

"Yeah, well, I'm going to," he replied, reaching his arm out over her shoulders. She went to take a drink from the bottle of wine. "Stop that." He took the bottle from her hand and put it on the coffee table.

"I think we've made up a lot of lost ground over these past few months," she said quietly. "God, I can only imagine the spiral I was heading into when I came to your office in September. You really saved me, Harvey."

"Well, I almost threw in the towel a few times along the way."

"Thanks for not giving up on me." Her voice came out like a whisper.

He smiled to himself and squeezed her shoulder. "I could say the same to you, Emmy."

* * *

_**FIVE MONTHS LATER**_

* * *

"Listen, I hear you. And I see where you're coming from but frankly, you're incorrect."

"Mike, you're clouded by logic. You have to suspend your disbelief."

Emilie was sitting at Harvey's desk chair in the middle of a passionate discussion with Mike. She wasn't entirely sure how their conversation had evolved from the last end credit scene from a recent Marvel movie into a lengthy argument about time travel.

"All I'm saying is the Back to the Future time travel science is broken."

Emilie just smirked at him. "I hope I'm not keeping you from real work. I know Harvey doesn't count banter with me as billable hours."

"It's 5:30 on a Friday. I'm pretty tapped out." Mike dropped down on the couch and kicked up his feet. "Where's he taking you to dinner?"

"I don't know. Considering we are celebrating _my_ graduation, he rejected all of my suggested restaurants."

Mike laughed, "You all ready for your internship?"

Emilie was graduating from NYU that weekend and on Monday she was flying out to San Francisco to work at a non-profit for the summer under an internship grant. She was excited about the experience but nervous. For the last few years, she dreamed of leaving the city and starting fresh on the west coast. But her life had really fallen into place in the last six months and she was sad to be leaving.

She'd miss Finn, a lot. Even though she knew he was going to have a busy summer at work and going away to a training program. It was still hard to leave this social circle she had developed.

"I'm ready as I can be. I think it's going to be a good stepping stone." She paused and looked out the door. Harvey was late from his last client meeting but he was bound to show up any time. "I haven't told Harvey yet but I got accepted into a Masters program at Columbia."

"You're kidding! That's awesome. What program?"

"Political science. I know it's a broad reach from my undergrad and the interview was tough but they let me in. I want to focus on Public Policy."

"Then Harvard Law?" Mike raised an eyebrow at her.

"I doubt it. But actually, it did cross my mind."

Before they could continue, Donna came through the glass door. "Okay, I was definitely ignoring most of your drivel about time travel -

"Are you always listening in?" Emilie turned in Harvey's chair to face Donna, a smile on her face.

"When it's interesting and important, yes." Donna matched her smile. "Does Columbia mean you're coming back in September?"

"Unless something keeps me in California, yes, I'll be back."

Donna let out an excited scream and clapped her hands together. "Wait, how have you been keeping this from Harvey?"

Emilie just laughed. Ever since she moved out in January, her and Harvey had gotten into a weekly routine. She either joined him at the boxing gym a few times a week or they would go for a morning run. It took both of them to make the effort but they managed to keep it up for the last few months. Emilie also stopped by the office every now and then or had a movie night at Harvey's.

They had both kept true to their word of staying in the other's life. It didn't help that Emilie also hung out with Mike occasionally and had been uncomfortably running into Louis every now and then when she went to see her therapist. Her and Harvey's lives overlapped now. It was nice.

And the dramatics of the fall were luckily just fragments of the past, now. Emilie's old life seemed so far away but every now and then, in the back of her mind, the face of Jason Moore appeared. She had to talk herself down in moments like that - remind herself that he was safely tucked away in prison upstate. That was over. Her life had started again.

"Keeping what from Harvey?" As if on cue, Harvey was walking into his office. He gave his sister a hard glance as she sat in his desk chair. She sighed and vacated the seat.

Donna gave her another smile as she left the room. Mike did the same, telling her a final congratulations as he slipped out the door.

Emilie dropped down onto the couch across from her brother's desk.

"How can you expect me to take you to dinner when you're wearing jeans like that?" Harvey pointed over to her and her ripped knees as he opened up his laptop. "And what are you not telling me?"

Emilie rolled her eyes. "Listen, they let Jennifer Lopez into any restaurant in this city wearing whatever designer denim she pleases."

"You're no J Lo, Em." Harvey looked up from his computer. "Now, talk."

"Well, I was going to wait and tell you at dinner," Emilie started, reaching into her backpack sitting on the floor. "But guess who got into Columbia?"

Harvey's eyes shot open, a bright smile turning up on his face. "You're kidding. That's incredible, Em. You didn't even tell me you were applying."

"I didn't want to jinx it or anything," she replied quietly as she looked down at the envelope in her hands. Truthfully, she had been doubtful she would get in. Really, she applied as a shot in the dark. Then even after they wanted to interview her, she was skeptical about the whole thing.

"Emmy." Harvey called her attention as he stood up at his desk. "Columbia will be lucky to have a smartass like you in their ranks."

"Well, thanks Harvey," she smiled and stood up the same, grabbing her things. "Does that mean we get to go to _Hatsuhana_ for dinner instead of wherever you picked?"

Harvey rolled his eyes but nodded. "Yes. I guess it's only fair we go with your first choice. Is Finn joining us?"

Emilie shook her head. "He's working nights unfortunately. And he hates sushi. So, it's just you and me, old man."

They said their goodbyes to Donna as they headed towards the elevators. Harvey turned to his sister as they waited. "How did your last shift at the cafe go?"

Emilie sighed. "Jackie cried and told me I was always welcome back if I needed a job. Then I cried. It was a whole thing." She turned and smiled up at him. "I did give her permission to use the family gingersnap recipe. She said to tell you they'll be in the rotation for Friday mornings again."

Harvey smirked. "Good to know."

They stepped into the elevator and started to head down.

Harvey thought for a moment. "Same goes for my place, Em."

Emilie looked up from her phone. "What?"

"In September, when you start your Masters. The spare room is really just Emilie's room now. You're always welcome back."

"You know you can't bring home all your hot dates with your little sister in the next room. I mean, we could devise an elaborate system using a tie on the door knob and noise cancelling headphones, I guess."

Harvey couldn't help but laugh. "I'm serious, Em." He put his hand on her shoulder.

She resisted quipping back again. She had gotten used to casual Harvey - the brother she didn't scream at anymore or swear at under her breath, but had dinner dates with and had cathartic discussions about her future.

"Thanks Harvey, really. For everything." As they stepped out at the ground floor, Emilie hooked her arm into her brothers as they headed out into the lobby. "Now, if I'm going to be moving back in, how do you feel about painting the living room? I think maybe we could make the whole place less intimidating with a floral wallpaper and…"

Harvey let Emilie ramble on. He knew in a few days he would miss the hell out of his sister, even if she was just going to be a phone call away.

Looking back on the last year of his life, he never imagined he would be looking forward to watching his sister graduate and then see her off to go live on the other side of the country. He thought back to all the memories he had shared with her over the years, good and bad, and felt a sense of peace. Finally.

Harvey Specter was not the type to drink a fancy coffee and he was not the type to share his feelings with most people. But he would always say that growing up, he never wanted a sister. And the way Emilie landed in his life was not what he asked for. But now, he wouldn't change his relationship with her for the world.

_FIN._


	16. Bonus: Big Day

_Hello! In these wildly uncertain times, I decided I wanted to post this snippet of story. _

_I have to admit, I've missed Harvey and Emilie. After finally watching the final season of the series, I have had a lot of feelings (I think we all have!) about how it ended and I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do next with this small fragment of the universe I've created._

_So, I have a semblance of a plot for a new story, a second story for Emilie and Harvey and Mike and Donna. But it's not entirely completed yet. Frankly, I'm flipping back and forth on some plot ideas. But, I wrote *this* and wanted to share it with someone. So, here I am posting it as a bonus to In The Cross Fire._

_I can't promise this will lead into another story anytime soon. But it will likely lead to something in the future. I am ironing out how I think Emilie might fit into the ending of the show, with a few blurry timelines and skipped sequences. It's very likely that if this comes to fruition, it will be a post series story and a bit canon divergent. But if you read this, it will likely lead to some question marks and possible leads into what the story might be about._

_And honestly, I'm being a bit flexible with the concept here. But someone had to help Harvey pull this wedding thing together. So, I figure if there was anyone Harvey was going to irritate to assist him… it was his little sister._

_Anyway, read if you want. Let me know if you like it or hate it or frankly could care less._

_But in these uncertain times with buzzwords like pandemic and social distance and scary numbers about scary things around the world, I wanted to post something. So, consider this a tiny escape from the world for a tiny fragment of time. _

_Much love, S._

_xoxoxo_

* * *

Emilie travelled from Boston back to the city begrudgingly. She told her dad she could stay and help him deal with the rest of her mom's things but he insisted she go back to her life in Manhattan and return to a routine. It had only been a few weeks and she didn't know if he was ready to be alone, but Emilie was comforted in knowing his sisters were there to help out, too.

As much as she loved her aunties, they were suffocating.

Marcus was the one who took her to the train station and hugged her twice before letting her go. She was worried about him too.

Returning to her apartment in the city, a still version of the life she put on pause to deal with her grief, had been overwhelming.

She went through the motions - she went to the cafe, served coffee, occasionally went for a run. But there was a dark cloud above her. Of course, that was expected but she closed herself off.

Marcus didn't keep in touch. Harvey didn't really reach out. Bobby called her once a day. She could easily convince him she was doing okay, because she knew he needed to hear that.

But Emilie needed her mom. And that wasn't possible anymore.

One drunken night, alone in her apartment, she called Jon Finnegan. She was lost and sad and desperate. He didn't answer his phone, which may have been a blessing. But she left him a very sad, crying voicemail then fell asleep.

The next morning, she was shocked to see a message from him checking in. But her guard was back up. She bailed on meeting him for coffee and brushed it off. Then he stopped trying.

It was a warm Saturday when the sun started to shine again for Emilie.

And it came in a phone call from her brother.

"What's up, old man?"

She was surprised to hear him laugh on the other end of the phone. "You know, I'm not even going to be bothered by that. Not today." Harvey paused. "I need a huge favour from you. The biggest thing I could ask you."

"Are we burying a body?"

"This is serious, Em."

Emilie sat up on the couch and moved the phone to her other ear. "What do you need?"

"Donna and I are getting married and I need your help."

"Oh my god! Are you serious? This is incredible. Harvey, I'm so happy. Wait. Aren't you at Louis' wedding today? It's tacky to propose at a wedding."

"It's a long story. Louis is taking Shelia to Labour and Delivery as we speak."

"Wow, big day in the Litt household. That's awesome. Wow, I can't wait until -

"Em, focus." Harvey was chuckling. "I need you to go get me a ring."

"Didn't you have mom's ring? I know she sent it to you."

"No, a ring for me."

"Today? You're not one to plan ahead like this."

"Emilie, I want to marry Donna tonight."

Emilie nearly dropped her phone. This was insane. Her brother was insane.

Well, their last few weeks had been insane. Maybe this made sense.

"Okay. This is nuts. But okay. What do I need to do?"

"I'm going to send Ray to pick you up in like half an hour - you need a dress and maybe drag a brush through your hair-

"Harvey."

"Then one stop at a jeweller and Ray will bring you out to this estate."

"Okay. I can manage this, I guess." She let out a breath and glanced around her messy apartment. "Harvey, I'm really happy you've come to your senses with Donna."

"Me too, Em. Thank you. I'll see you soon."

Emilie picked out a basic black floral dress, with long sheer sleeves and a bow at the back. Before her mother's funeral, she hadn't worn a dress in months. But, it was the least she could do for her brother.

When she got to the estate, she was happy to see Mike there, too. She hadn't considered he had still been in town. She knew there was a lot going on at the firm and it had been a pleasant surprise to see him at Lily's funeral. But she had no idea what she was getting into at this wedding full of Louis and Sheila's family and friends, so Mike was a safe recluse.

Emilie and Mike Ross had really struck up an unlikely friendship. He had connected her with some friends he had in San Francisco when she moved and that had led her to a job and a huge social circle. But Mike had remained a confidant when she was really struggling - through things she just couldn't talk to her brothers about. She trusted him with the small details and he always offered honest advice to her.

"Emilie, hey!" Mike said as he caught her at the front entrance. He wrapped her in a hug and Emilie was so grateful. She knew things had been messy with whatever was bringing Mike back to the city but he still checked in on her through all the dramatics and hardship. She was the current resident of his old apartment, afterall.

"Can you believe this is actually happening?" Emilie asked him as they headed into the event.

"I can't." He tilted his head as a soft smirk appeared across his face. "But at the same time, it makes a lot of sense."

Emilie nodded her head in agreement. They paused before heading outside and Mike pointed to a small room to their left. "Harvey's been waiting for you." He gave her arm a quick squeeze and left her to walk through a set of French doors to find her brother.

The small parlour was lit with a chandelier and large windows, showing off the crowd enjoying the evening outside. Emilie walked in to find Harvey seated at a plush armchair, scribbling onto a small notebook. Just the sight of him writing his vows almost made her tear up.

"Do you need me to proofread that for you?" She joked as she pulled his attention away.

"Hey," Harvey replied, standing up quickly. "I'm so glad you're here." He pulled her into a tight hug.

Emilie wanted to be shocked by the action but she relaxed in his arms for a moment. It was nice.

Harvey pulled away, leaving his hands resting on her shoulders at an arm's length. "I can't thank you enough."

"Let's hope this fits," she replied to him with a smile, handing over a small velvet box. "Wait. What about the ring for Donna?"

He smirked at her, patting his jacket pocket over his heart. "I've been carrying it for weeks."

Emilie let out a small laugh, a beaming smile coming to her face. "You big softie."

Harvey just shrugged, smiling at her then back to the ring box.

"Why today?" Emilie asked quietly.

"I just can't wait. You know, there's been a lot of awful in my world over the years but there has always been Donna. Despite everything else, she was there. I can't wait another day."

Emilie swallowed the lump in her throat as he spoke so beautifully. If only their mother could see him now.

"We'll do something with our families later but tonight…" Harvey trailed off, looking up to meet his sister's eyes. "I know Marcus would want to see this. And I would love to have mom here. And my dad." He reached his arm out and pulled Emilie in close to him again. "But I'm glad you're here, kid."

Emilie chose to laugh instead of cry, like she wanted to. "Do you need me to be your flower girl?"

Harvey paused, as if weighing his options. "That's not necessary." He paused. "But how about ring bearer?" He handed the small box back to her and reached for Donna's ring from his pocket. "And come stand beside me, too."

"What? No. Wouldn't you rather have Mike up there?" Emilie was taken aback by his question. She had placed distance between herself and Harvey when she stayed in San Francisco. Life had carried on without her. She intentionally ignored his Facetime requests - mainly to avoid all his digging questions about why she deferred her enrollment to Columbia and what exactly happened between her and Jon Finnegan. She rolled her eyes whenever he mentioned how he was paying for her to live in that old apartment.

Even at their mom's funeral, things had been daunting and glossy and empty. Things were left unsaid. They skipped over the mess, like they usually did, and carried on with their separate lives.

But in that very moment of Harvey putting his entire heart on his sleeve and ignoring their imperfect relationship, she couldn't help but feel a burning warmth in her chest. It was love for her big brother.

"Nope. I want my smartass kid sister standing beside me. Please, Emmy."

She just smiled again, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. "Well, okay. Since you asked so politely. Thank goodness I brushed my hair for this, old man."


End file.
